Combat and Tactics

Part 1: Combat Tactics

Standard moves:
● Melee attack - within 5’ (approximately)
● Missile attack - more than 5’ from target
● Fighting withdrawal - move backward half encounter rate, may attack, no penalty
● Retreat - turn and flee full encounter rate, may not attack, opponent gains +2 to hit
● Attack from behind - negate shield
● Unarmed attacks - 1d2 + STR bonus damage
● Brace - Spear and Polearm, 2x damage against charging monsters
● Charge - Lance, 2x damage if moving >60’ on horseback
Additional options:
● Subdue - Attackers may strike to subdue (75% of damage is non-lethal) if they choose.
Such attacks are at -2 to hit unless weapons have been specially prepared beforehand.
● Multiple attacks - Martial classes gain 2x attacks at 15th level, and 3x at 20th.
● Martial characters may continue making attacks against enemies in melee range of 1 HD
or less, up to their experience level in attacks, as long as each swing fells an opponent.
● Off-hand weapons - characters with DEX or STR prime requisite may employ specified
off-hand weapons as detailed below under Weapons Tables.
● Charge into melee - run 20’ before attack, +2 to hit, -1 AC penalty, susceptible to Brace
● Parry - Requires STR 13 or more. Character does not attack, and gains STR bonus to AC

Part 2: Weapon Mastery

● Five levels - Basic (1), Expert (2), Companion (3), Master (4), and Immortal (5)
● Bonus to hit for mastery level: 0/+1/+2/+3/+4
● Increase damage die per mastery level up to d12, then 2d6+1, 2d8, etc.
● Non-martial classes may not exceed Expert mastery. Semi-martial may not exceed
Companion.
● Basic mastery is automatic for all weapons usable by a class.
● No mastery slots at 1st level. Gain 1 slot whenever THAC0 improves.
● +1 AC bonus at Expert(2) with melee weapon (against melee and thrown attacks only), +2
AC bonus at Master(4).

Adam Morton, 2022

Part 3: Weapons
Melee Weapons:

B(1) X(2) C(3) M(4) I(5) Qualities

Battle axe 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 2d8 2H, Double, Split+

Club or Torch 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 Blunt

Dagger 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 Double, Off-hand, Missile

Hand Axe 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 Split, Missile

Lance 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 2d8 2d10 Charge, Mounted

Mace 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 Blunt, Stagger

Net Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Entangle, Off-hand, Missile

Polearm 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 2d8 2d10 2H, Slow, Choice

Short sword 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 Double

Spear 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 Brace, Missile

Staff 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2H, Blunt, Deflect

Sword 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 2d8 Disarm

2-handed sword 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 2d8 2d10 2H, Slow, Deflect

Warhammer 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 Blunt, Crack

Missile Weapons:

B(1) X(2) C(3) M(4) I(5) Range Qualities

Blowgun Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Poison

Bola 1d2 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 20/40/60 Entangle

Crossbow, Heavy 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 2d8 100/200/300 2H, Reload+, Crack

Crossbow, Light 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 80/160/240 2H, Reload, Crack

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Dagger 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 10/20/30

Hand Axe 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 10/20/30 Split

Holy Water Vial 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d8 10/30/50 Splash

Javelin 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 30/60/90

Longbow 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 70/140/210 2H

Net Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil 10/20/30 Entangle

Oil Flask 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d8 1d8 10/30/50 Splash

Short Bow 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 50/100/150 2H

Sling 1d4 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 40/80/160 Blunt

Spear 1d6 1d8 1d10 1d12 2d6+1 20/40/60

Weapon Qualities:
● Blunt: May be used by characters who only employ blunt weapons.
● Brace: Bracing against the ground doubles damage against charging monsters.
● Charge: On a suitable mount, moving at least 60’ in a round and attacking doubles
damage done with a successful hit.
● Choice: Comes in various types. Grants one of Brace, Hook, or Crack.
● Crack: +2 to hit against heavy armor (or any monster deemed to have a heavy armor-like
carapace, for example). On a natural 20 to hit, triggers a breakage test for metal armor.
See Breakage, below.
● Deflect: AC bonus of +1 vs. melee and thrown weapon attacks per level of mastery. This
replaces the normal AC bonus for mastery.
● Disarm: On a natural 20 to hit, an armed target loses their weapon and triggers a
breakage test for that weapon. See Breakage, below. Requires Expert(2) mastery. At
Master(4), disarms on roll of 19-20.
● Double: On natural 20 to hit in melee, double base damage. Requires Expert(2) mastery.
At Master(4), doubles on 19 or 20.

Adam Morton, 2022

 ● Entangle: On a hit, a human-sized or smaller target is immobilized and unable to attack,
cast spells, etc. At the start of each successive round may make a save vs. paralyzation to
escape.
● Hook: On 19 or 20 to hit, mounted opponent is unhorsed. Chance to unhorse increases
by 1 for every mastery level above Basic(1).
● Missile: Weapon may be either used in melee or thrown. Unless otherwise noted on the
missile weapon table, melee weapon qualities do not apply when thrown.
● Mounted: Uses this profile only when used from the back of a suitable mount.
Otherwise, as a spear but cannot be thrown.
● Off-hand: May be employed in the off hand without penalty. Each round grants +1 to hit
for the main hand attack, OR +1 to any AC bonus from parrying (permitting a parry for
STR less than 13), OR an attack with the off hand weapon in lieu of an attack with the
main hand.
● Poison: On a hit, the target must save vs. whatever poison is applied to the dart.
● Reload: Requires a round (two rounds for Reload+) to reload between shots; can only be
fired every second (third for Reload+) round.
● Slow: If using individual initiative, the character suffers a -2 penalty to initiative.
Otherwise, acts last in each combat round.
● Splash: On a successful attack, the container smashes and douses the target with the
liquid. Listed damage is inflicted over two rounds, as the liquid drips off.
● Split: On natural 20 to hit (19 or 20 for Split+), the target's shield is destroyed. This
chance increases by 1 for every mastery level above Basic(1). See Breakage, below.
● Stagger: If individual initiative in use, target struck suffers -4 penalty next round.
Otherwise, the target loses initiative, striking even after Slow weapons.
● 2H: Requires both hands; the character cannot use a shield.

Part 4: Additional Options

Additional Melee Options:
● Two-handing - Medium sized melee weapons that ordinarily do not require two hands
may instead be wielded with two hands, gaining Slow and +1 to damage.
● Weapons with Brace or a considerable reach advantage may be permitted to strike first
on the first round of melee combat
● Long hafted thrusting weapons may strike in melee from the second rank

Adam Morton, 2022

Shields:
● Grant +1 bonus to AC
● Large shields (must substantially cover the body) grant an additional +1 to AC vs. missile
attacks
● a character may sacrifice the shield to gain extra protection from one attack per round,
whether melee, missile, or even a magical attack with a physical component (such as a
fireball) - by raising the shield and attempting to absorb the full force of the blow on it.
● This may be declared at the time of the attack, and requires the character to be facing
the attack source.
● The character gains a +3 bonus to AC (instead of the normal +1 bonus), or a +3 bonus to
their saving throw.
● The shield is splintered on a 1-2 on a roll of 1d6. Certain attacks may warrant a lesser or
greater chance of breakage.

Part 5: Breakage
Weapon breakage:
● A breakage test for a melee or thrown weapon is triggered whenever the weapon strikes
for its maximum damage, or as specified by another rule (e.g., Disarm) or situation.
● Breakage chance is normally expressed as 1 in X die, where the die is specified by the
quality and material of the item (see Arms, Armor, and Equipment).
● A broken weapon is ineffective in combat, reducing damage to 1d2.
● Magical and very high quality weapons are rarely subject to breakage.
● Fired missiles (arrows, crossbow bolts, etc.) suffer breakage 3 in 6, assuming the missile
can be recovered at all (e.g., not fired into dense foliage 150 yards away, or into a stone
wall).
● Broken weapons may be repaired by a competent craftsman.

Armor and Shield breakage:

● Armor remains fully functional unless an attack form explicitly directs otherwise, or it is
subjected to an attack that reduces the wearer to 0 hp or below and has potential to
damage armor.
● Breakage chance for armor is a base 3 in 6.

Adam Morton, 2022

 ● Magical armor may enjoy a reduced chance of breakage (e.g., a 1 in 6 reduction per ‘plus’
of bonus).
● Broken armor offers no protection until repaired by a competent craftsman.
● Shields do not test for breakage unless intentionally sacrificed (as above, under Shields).
They may be automatically broken by a Split effect.
● Broken shields offer no protection, and are not repairable by normal means.
● Magical shields may be resistant to breakage, per DM’s judgment (e.g., a 1 in 6 reduction
to ordinary breakage chance per 2 ‘pluses’ of bonus).

Miscellaneous Item Breakage:

● Any attack that reduces a character to 0 hp or below is also likely to damage his gear.
● Other sorts of attacks - fireballs, breath weapons, etc. on unattended gear, or as the DM
directs, may also force items to check for breakage.
● Affected items as a general guideline have a 2 in 6 chance of breakage, subject to DM’s
judgment. Unusually fragile items might have a 3 in 6, more robust a 1 in 6 or no chance
at all. Loose pages of parchment might have only a 1 in 6 chance, or none at all, of
surviving being engulfed in flame.
● Magic items have a +1 to their rolls for breakage (this does not include, e.g., a potion
bottle or scroll case, unless the bottle or case itself is enchanted).

Part 6: Mounted Combat

A wide variety of terrestrial creatures might be ridden into battle. Those that can bear just one
or two riders are treated here. Larger mounts should instead be treated under vehicle combat.

Mounted Melee Combat:

● Assumes a combat-trained mount suitable to the rider in order to gain advantages
● The rider may charge into combat if they have at least 60’ of space, granting +2 to hit.
● The rider receives a +2 bonus to AC in melee against unmounted foes, except as the
opponent employs a large or long-hafted weapon (spear, polearm, two-handed sword, or
battle axe).
● Certain mounts may attack in melee, in addition to or in place of the rider.

Adam Morton, 2022

 ● A rider with space to operate (open ground appropriate to the mount, and not
hemmed-in by enemies, per GM’s judgment) may execute ride-by attacks, charging into
combat each round.
● A rider cannot brace their weapon against a charge.
● A rider counts as larger than human-sized, which may affect them in combat against
certain creatures.
● An opponent may always choose to attack the rider or mount.

Mounted Ranged Combat:

● A rider with space to move freely may gain the advantage of fire and retreat attacks
against all non-mounted or substantially slower (at least 60’ difference in base
movement) opponents, preventing the opponent from closing to melee.
● A rider cannot wield a longbow or reload a crossbow.
● An opponent may always choose to fire at the rider or the mount, but the actual target of
the attack is determined by rolling a d6. On a 1-4, the hit roll is made against the desired
target. On a 5 or 6, the other (rider or mount) is targeted instead.

Unmounting:
● An attack that kills or incapacitates the mount, or that unmounts a rider (as with the
Hook keyword on a polearm), throws the rider to the ground and inflicts an additional
1d6 damage.

Adam Morton, 2022

To do:

Part 7: Vehicle Combat

Related to mounted combat for small vehicles (chariots, etc.). Also need large vehicle rules.
Animals pulling, crashes, etc. Platforms for multiple fighters.

Part 8: Ship Combat

Related to vehicle combat. Hull points, etc.

Part 9: Aerial Combat

Related to mounted combat. Don’t overcomplicate. Rules assume wide open, large space - tightly
enclosed space, even for flying creatures, should be adjudicated as for normal combat.

Part 10: Siege and Fortified Combat

Related to vehicle and ship combat. Walls and fortifications, but also rules for troop assaults on
these, large encampments, etc.

Part 11: Mass Combat and Army Movement

Related to siege and fortified combat. Probably similar to or outright borrowing of Todd
LeBack’s hex system. Rules for supply and communication. Disease?

Adam Morton, 2022