SWORDS & SPELLS

BY GARY GYGAX

FANTASTIC MINIATURES RULES ON A 1:10/1:1 SCALE

For Use With
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

TSR Hobbies, Inc.
The Game Wizards
POB 756
Lake Geneva, WI 53147

SWORDS & SPELLS

RULES FOR LARGE-SCALE
MINIATURES BATTLES BASED ON
THE GAME DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

by Gary Gygax

Dedicated to all swords & sorcery gamers -- past, present, and future.

DEVELOPMENT BY DAVE ARNESON AND ROB KUNTZ
GRAPHICS & GRAPHIC DESIGN BY DAVE SUTHERLAND
EDITING & LAYOUT BY TIM KASK

2007

© -- TSR GAMES
6th Printing, November, 1979
Printed in U.S.A.

Index

Scale
Figure Mounting
Turn Sequence
Movement
Terrain Effects
Troop Classifications
Formation
Facing
Fatigue
Missile Fire
Fire Rate
Spell Casting
Spells -- M-U
Cleric
Druid
Breath Weapons & Special Attacks
Saving Throws
Melee
Morale
Morale Failure
Special Units
Fortified Positions
Missile Fire Adjustments
Melee Bonuses & Penalties
Combat Table
    -- Human Attacking
    -- Monster Attacking
Artillery Missile Fire Table
Casualty Adjustment (Optional)
Damage Variation
Average Damage Matrix
Weapon Type/Damage Matrix
Point Values
Example of Game Play
Sample Unit Information Sheet

Foreword

There isn't much that I can say in this Foreword that the author doesn't say
in his Introduction. What I can do is recommend how to approach these
rules. The first thing to remember is that these rules are the grandson of
CHAINMAIL. This final form is the result of a great deal of research and
testing. Therefore, if in reading through them you find something you take
exception to, bear with and continue on. The author has been developing
these systems for quite some time, and the work very well.

The second thing to remember is that these rules deal with fantasy. If
something is unclear as to how or why it works that way, remember that it is
all fantasy. Fantasy is not bound to rigid rules and rationales. Fantasy is
imaginative. If you feel that your fantasy is better than this in some aspect,
that's fine. After all, it's your fantasy. Be warned, however, that unless certain
balances are maintained, the game soon becomes very lopsided and very
little fun. BALANCE is to be maintained at all times.

The third thing to remember is that this set of rules sets forth some new
techniques that will be alien to most miniatures players in the U.S. For one
thing, there is no luck in assessing casualties. 'X' number of men will do 'Y'
number of damage points. For another, these rules mix scales. It is quite
possible for a 1:1 figure to find itself squared off against 2 or more 1:10 scale
figures. That eventuality was incorporated into the system from the onset.
Because of the newness of some of these principles, read the entire rules all
the way through the first time. Appendix A will make a lot of things fall right
into place and perspective, but won't mean a whole lot, mechanically, on its
own. I recommend that you at least skim through Appendix A, then start at
the beginning and proceed. When you get to Appendix A again, it should all
fall into place. The overall 'feel' of these rules is as critical as the individual
mechanics.

Remember that this is D & D, and that in D & D the DM/Referee has ultimate veto powers and interpretative authority.

Timothy J. Kask
22 July 1976
Lake Geneva, Wisc.
 

An Introduction by the author

    These rules are as simple and straightforward as I could devise for a game
system which involves "magical" and fantastic factors. The FANTASY SUPPLEMENT
written for CHAINMAIL assumed a basic man-for-man situation. While
it is fine for such actions, it soon becomes obvious that something for large-scale
battles was needed. The question of how large then arose. After considerable
contemplation a 10:1 ratio was decided upon. If this seems somewhat small for a supposedly
large-scale set of rules, the following factors must be remembered: First,
most fantasy battles which involve numbers too large to handle at 1:1 are still on a
relatively small scale -- hundreds and thousands rather than tens of thousands. More
importantly, the exceptional creatures had to be allowed for, and this could not be
practically done on a scale greater than 10:1.

    At the scale of these rules a single man can be represented by a single figure on
the table. So if one opponent has a lone hero (4th level fighting man) facing several
figures of men-at-arms (or orcs or similar 1 HD creatures), an actual melee can
take pplace. The hero will inflict .40 of the damage shown for a 4th level creature on
the combat tables and sustain damage until sufficient hits are scored upon the figure
to kill the hero. Similarly, if a 12th level fighter is involved he will score 1.2 times the
damage shown and so on.

    Therefore, you will find that these rules are quite suitable for fantasy battles --
even those where thousands are involved, for the ratio can be increased by a factor of
10 quite easily. That will mean, of course, that certain individual confrontations will
have to be fought separately at 1:1, but that is probably what will often be done for
special battles even when the general action is being fought at 10:1. In any case fantasy
is a growing and flexible form of gaming, and referees must feel at home
modifying and expanding upon rules as the situation dictates. Here are the basics
upon which to build.

    These rules have been a long time in coming bcause of the difficulty of doing a
simple set of urles for a game which has nearly endless variables. SWORDS & SPELLS
should provide the means with which to fight large scale miniature fantasy
battles based on DUNGEONS & DRAGONS far more suitably than does CHAINMAIL,
for example. However, like anything else, it is not perfect by any menas. Many
compromises had to be made in order to provide a work of suitable length and
reasonable level of complexity. Much had to be left out. Because of the great number
of spells and monster types, these rules perforce assume that you own a copy of
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, along with its various supplements to use as adjuncts.
As much as was desired, the whole of D&D combat could not be capsuled to include
herein for want of space for the game system and necessary rules. Likewise, much of
the immense variability of D&D had to be reduced to an easily handledform or
merely referred to as a possibility. Thus, there is a spell chart which gives range, area
of effect and duration, but players will have to refer to the D&D booklets for spell effects;
similarly, the combat system assumes a fairly standard damage, but appendices
give the necessary data for working up complete tables for varying damage
based on weapon and monster attacks.

    The rules are aimed primarily at enactments of battles which feature many
relatively low-level fighters. Magic should be on the same scale as it is in a well-run
campaign, i.e., few high-level magic-users and magical items. In like manner, monsters
are meant to be few. The admonition regarding single creatures is important: If
they meet, or are simply near each other, they should seek combat with each other
rather than against inferior opponents, and this combat should be fought out at 1:1
in the normal D&D manner.

    Finally, as with any set of rules done by any author and any publisher, these are
for your playing enjoyment. If you find sections which do not bring enjoyment,
alter, expand, or delete them as you see fit. Be careful, though, not to destroy
the flavor of D&D!

SCALE

1:10 basic (1 figure = 10 actual, although special figures may be mounted to represent a single
creature, i.e. 1:1)
1 turn = 2 minutes of scale time
1" = 10 scale yards

FIGURE MOUNTING

With the exception of those special figures which represent only one actual creature, all castings
must be mounted on stands. This applies to figures which are mounted singly or in groups. The
size of each stand depends on the type of creature mounted thereon and/or the weapon it employs.
The base size is width, for the scale of the game is such that the depth of the stand must
simply remain a function of the casting itself. Those figures representing only one creature will
occupy more space on the table than they would actually occupy in scale in most cases; if they are
mounted on stands for convenience, the stands may be overlapped by other stands, or they may
overlap their stands. In no other circumstances may stands be overlapped. Stand sizes are:
 

5/8" width	3/8" width	1" width	1-3/8th" width	1-5/8" width
CREATURE TYPE	CREATURE TYPE	CREATURE TYPE	CREATURE TYPE	CREATURE TYPE
kobolds	hobgoblins	bugbears	ogres	giants
goblins	gnolls	gargoyles	trolls	pegasi
gnomes	lizard men	apes	centaurs	hippogriffs
dwarves	wolves	lions/tigers	bears	griffons
orcs	ponies	horses****	horses***	-
elves	-	-	-	-
men	-	-	-	-
5/8" width	3/8" width	1" width	1-3/8th" width	-
WEAPON TYPE	WEAPON TYPE	WEAPON TYPE	WEAPON TYPE	WEAPON TYPE
dagger	military pick	bastard swd.	2-handed swd.	-
hand axe	long sword	flail	-	-
mace	battle axe	morning star	-	-
hammer	pole arms**	halberd	-	-
short swd.	sling	-	-	-
spear	-	-	-	-
pole arm*	-	-	-	-
pike	-	-	-	-
bow	-	-	-	-
crossbow	-	-	-	-

* thrusting-type
** cutting type
*** heavy horses, unicorns <>
**** medium and light horses <>

For example, an elf wiht any of the weapons listed in the "5/8" width" column would be mounted
on a 5/8" base, but if the elf were armed with a full-sized flail the stand would have to have a
1" width for each elf. Note that a small creature armed with a small weapon will prb.
classify under a lower-width heading than the weapon name implies even though the effect of the
weapon will prb. be the same as a full-sized one in may cases. For figure types not shown
USE the nearest approximation. It is suggested that troops be mounted on stands which accomodate
ten figures, five files, two ranks, 100 scale creatures.