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Order of Play
When the party of adventurers comes in contact with potential enemies, time shifts to combat rounds (10 seconds long, as described previously). Before beginning combat, surprise is checked (see below). Unsurprised characters then roll for Initiative, and act in order of the rolls (again, as described below).
Surprise
When surprise is possible, roll 1d6 for each side which might be surprised; most normal characters are surprised on a roll of 1-2. Surprised characters are unable to act for one round. Characters or creatures which are well hidden and prepared to perform an ambush surprise on a roll of 1-4 on 1d6.
Surprised characters or creatures stand flat-footed for one round. They still defend themselves, so there is no penalty to Armor Class, but they cannot move nor attack during the round of surprise.
Monster Reactions
When a group of player characters meet one or more monsters, it’s important to know how the monsters will react to the party. In many cases, the reaction of the monster or monsters is obvious… zombies guarding a tomb will virtually always attack intruders, for example.
In cases where the reaction of the monsters to the party is not obvious, a reaction roll may be made. The Game Master rolls 2d6, adding the Charisma bonus of the “lead” character (or applying his or her Charisma penalty) along with any other adjustments he or she feels are reasonable, and consults the table below:
| Adjusted Die Roll | Result |
| ------------------ | ------------------- |
| 2 or less | Immediate Attack |
| 3-7 | Unfavorable |
| 8-11 | Favorable |
| 12 or more | Very Favorable |
A result of 2 or less means that the player characters have so offended the monsters that they attack immediately. An Unfavorable result means that the monsters do not like the player characters, and will attack if they may reasonably do so. A Favorable result simply means that the monsters will consider letting the player characters live if they choose to parley; it does not necessarily mean that the monsters like the player characters. A Very Favorable result means that the monsters (or perhaps only the monster leader) do, in fact, like the player characters; this does not mean that the monsters will just hand over their treasure, but it does indicate that they may choose to cooperate with the player characters in mutually beneficial ways.
As always, interpreting the results of this roll is left to the GM, who may choose to alter the result if he or she believes a different result would be more enjoyable to play out than the one rolled.
Initiative
Each round, 1d6 is rolled for Initiative for each character or monster. This roll is adjusted by the character’s Dexterity bonus. High numbers act first. Any characters/monsters with equal numbers act simultaneously. The GM may make single rolls for groups of identical monsters at his or her option.
As the GM counts down the Initiative numbers, each character or monster may act on his or her number. If desired, a combatant can choose to wait until a later number to act. If a player states that he or she is waiting for another character or monster to act, then the player character’s action takes place on the same Initiative number as the creature he or she is waiting for. In this case, the player character’s action is simultaneous with the creature waited for, just as if they had rolled the same number.
A character using a weapon with a long reach (spears, for instance) may choose to attack a closing opponent on the closing opponent’s number and thus attack simultaneously with the opponent, even if the character rolled lower for Initiative.
Combat
Each character or creature involved in combat may move, if desired, up to its encounter movement distance, and then attack, if any opponent is in range, when its Initiative number comes up. After attacking, a character or creature may not move again until the next round.
Opponents more than 5’ apart may move freely, but once two opposing figures are within 5’ of each other, they are “engaged” and must abide by the rules under Disengaging From Melee, below.
Running
Characters may choose to run; a running character is not normally allowed to attack (but see Charging, below). Running characters can move at double their normal encounter movement rate. Characters are allowed to run a number of rounds equal to 2 times the character’s Constitution, after which they are exhausted and may only walk (at the normal encounter rate). For monsters not having a given Constitution, allow the monster to run for 24 rounds. Exhausted characters or creatures must rest for at least a turn before running again.
Maneuverability
The following rules may be considered optional. They are hardly needed for most dungeon adventures, but will add measurably to combat situations in the wilderness, especially in waterborne combat situations or when some or all combatants are flying.
Characters, creatures, and vehicles of various sorts have a turning distance. This is given as a distance in feet in parentheses after their movement rate, and it determines how far they must move between facing changes when moving about in combat.
All normal player characters, and in fact most moderately sized creatures which walk on the ground, have a turning distance of 5’. If no turning distance is given for a creature, assume that it is 5’.
In general, a facing change is any turn of up to 90o (a right-angle turn); on a square-gridded map, this means turning to face directly to the right or left of the figure’s current facing. A half-turn (45º) still counts as a full facing change. If using hexes, “diagonal” movement is not available, so a facing change is the 60º turn to face toward the hex-side to the right or left of the current facing.
There are a few exceptions to this rule:
First, any creature that does not move away from its starting position during the combat round may make as many facing changes as desired (though circumstances, such as trying to turn a horse around in a narrow corridor, may prevent this).
Incorporeal flying creatures, such as spectres, can turn freely at any point while moving.
Creatures which are running (moving at double speed) may not make facing changes of more than 60º, and their turning distance increases by 10’ (or, if it is 5’ normally, it increases to 10’).
Also, most creatures can shift one space laterally while preserving their facing (this is called “sidestepping”), but this may only be done when moving at normal (“walking”) speed, not at fast (“running”) speed. “One space” means either 5’ or 10’, depending on the map or board being used.
Climbing and Diving
For battles involving three dimensions, each creature or vehicle has an altitude (when flying) or depth (underwater). For air or sea battles, at least one of the creatures or vehicles should start at an altitude/depth of 0, and a new 0 level can be established at any time, to simplify play, by adjusting the altitudes of each creature or vehicle.
A winged flier can gain up to 10’ of altitude after moving forward by the distance shown for its maneuverability class, and can dive (lose altitude in a controlled fashion) at up to twice the normal movement rate; if the creature does not move horizontally by at least one-third its normal speed, it will stall, being forced to dive at maximum rate for one round. Floating creatures or vehicles (balloons, fly spell, flying carpets, etc.) can climb vertically without horizontal motion up to half the normal movement rate, but such “floaters” can only descend at the normal movement rate, unless they have lost the ability to float entirely.
Charging
Under some circumstances, characters or creatures may be allowed to attack after a running move. This is called a charge, and some specific limitations apply. First, the charging character or creature must move at least 10 feet, and may move up to double his or her normal movement rate, as given above. The movement must be in a more or less straight line toward the intended target, and the path to the target must be reasonably clear. Finally, the attacker must be using a weapon such as a spear, lance, or pole arm which is suitable for use while charging. Certain monsters, especially including those with horns, are able to use natural attacks when charging. If the attacker does not have line of sight to the opponent at the start of the charge, that opponent can’t be charged.
The attack made after the charge is made at +2 on the attack roll. The charging character or creature takes a -2 penalty to Armor Class for the remainder of the round. If the attack hits, it does double damage.
Set Weapon Against Charge: Spears, pole arms, and certain other piercing weapons deal double damage when “set” (braced against the ground or floor) and used against a charging creature. For this to be done, the character or creature being charged must have equal or better Initiative; this counts as holding an action: both attacker and defender act on the attacker’s Initiative number and are therefore simultaneous.
Evasion and Pursuit
Sometimes a party of adventurers will want nothing more than to avoid a group of monsters (or sometimes, it’s the monsters avoiding the adventurers). If one group is surprised, and the other is not, the unsurprised group may be able to escape automatically (unless something prevents them from making an exit). Otherwise, those wanting to evade the encounter begin doing so on their Initiative numbers. Note that the rules above for Disengaging From Melee will naturally apply to any combatant who is in reach of an enemy.
The GM may easily play out the pursuit, following along on their map (note that the players can’t draw maps while they run headlong through the dungeon or wilderness area). Any time a character must pass through a doorway, make a hard turn, etc., the GM may require a saving throw vs. Death Ray (with Dexterity bonus added); if the save is failed, the character has fallen at that point and moves no further that round; they may stand up and make a full move (but not a double move) on their Initiative number in the next round.
If the fleeing characters or creatures are ever able to get beyond the pursuer’s sight for a full round, they have evaded pursuit… the pursuers have lost them.
Disengaging From Melee
When any combatant is within reach of the melee attacks of at least one enemy, that combatant is considered to be engaged. Such a combatant may disengage in one of two ways:
First, the combatant may simply flee, turning away from all opponents they are engaged with and moving more than half normal movement. All opponents with whom they are engaged are allowed a “parting shot” with a +2 bonus to attack, even if that opponent has already made all attacks for the round. Opponents who have multiple melee attacks per round make just one; for instance, a tiger with the usual “2 claws, 1 bite” routine could only claw once or bite once.
To avoid the parting shot, the combatant may choose to withdraw, i.e. back away by up to half normal movement. After a withdrawal, the character may still attack at any point later in the same round if an opponent is within reach
Attacking Maneuvers
To roll “to hit,” the attacker rolls 1d20 and adds his or her attack bonus (AB), as shown on the Attack Bonus table, as well as Strength bonus (if performing a melee attack) or Dexterity bonus (if performing a missile or ranged attack) and any other adjustments required by the situation. If the total is equal to or greater than the opponent’s Armor Class, the attack hits and damage is rolled. A natural “1” on the die roll is always a failure. A natural “20” is always a hit, if the opponent can be hit at all (for example, monsters that can only be hit by silver or magic weapons cannot be hit by normal weapons, so a natural “20” with a normal weapon will not hit such a monster).
| Fighter Level | Cleric or Thief Level | Magic-User Level | Monster Hit Dice | Attack Bonus |
| -------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------- | -------------- |
| NM | less than 1 | +0 | |
| 1 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 1 | +1 |
| 2-3 | 3-4 | 4-5 | 2 | +2 |
| 4 | 5-6 | 6-8 | 3 | +3 |
| 5-6 | 7-8 | 9-12 | 4 | +4 |
| 7 | 9-11 | 13-15 | 5 | +5 |
| 8-10 | 12-14 | 16-18 | 6 | +6 |
| 11-12 | 15-17 | 19-20 | 7 | +7 |
| 13-15 | 18-20 | | 8-9 | +8 |
| 16-17 | | | 10-11 | +9 |
| 18-20 | | | 12-13 | +10 |
| | | | 14-15 | +11 |
| | | | 16-19 | +12 |
| | | | 20-23 | +13 |
| | | | 24-27 | +14 |
| | | | 28-31 | +15 |
| | | | 32 or more | +16 |
Attacking from Behind
Attacks made from behind an opponent usually receive a +2 attack bonus. This does not combine with the Sneak Attack ability.
Normal Men
A note about normal men: The NM entry in the table above is for normal men, also known as zero level characters. These characters represent the artisans, shopkeepers, scullery maids, and other non-adventurer characters who will appear in the game. All such characters are NPCs, of course.
Average zero-level mink have 1d4 hit points, and usually are not proficient with any weapons except bare hands. Green troops (those who have not been in battle yet) are zero-level, but they have 1d6 hit points and are allowed to use any weapon allowed to a Fighter.
It is recommended not to waste time in detailing the ability score or other statistics of such characters further; they are normal, as in “average,” and so very few would have extreme statistics. A blacksmith might be credited with a Strength score of 13 or more, or a savant with Intelligence of 16 or more, but in general such things need not be detailed for most of these characters.
Monster Attack Bonus
When looking up a monster’s hit dice on the Attack Bonus Table, ignore all “plus” or “minus” values; so a monster with 3+2 hit dice, or one with 3-1, is still treated as just 3 hit dice. The exception is monsters with 1-1 or lower hit dice, which are considered less than one hit die and have an attack bonus of +0.
Melee Combat
Melee occurs after a character has closed for combat and strikes at a monster or other foe. Melee weapons or attacks may generally only be used against foes who are engaged with the attacker (as described above).
Missile Fire
Missile weapons may be used to attack foes at a distance. The distance the attacker is from his target affects the attack roll, as shown on the Missile Weapon Ranges table. In general, opponents within Short range are attacked at +1 on the die, those beyond Short range but within Medium range are attacked at +0, and those beyond Medium but within Long range are attacked at -2. Foes beyond Long range cannot be effectively attacked.
If a character attempts to use a missile weapon against a foe who is within 5’ of him or her (i.e. who is engaged with the shooter), a penalty of -5 is applied to the attack roll. This is due to the shooter dodging around to avoid the foe’s attacks. The only exception is if the attacker is behind the target creature and undetected, or that creature is distracted so as to not be able to attack the shooter; in these cases, apply the usual +1 bonus (+3 total bonus if attacking from behind).
Cover and Concealment
In certain situations, the intended target of a missile (or melee) attack may have cover or concealment of some kind. Cover is defined as “hard” protection such as that afforded by a thick tree trunk or stone wall, that is, anything that will stop or slow a missile weapon. Concealment is “soft” cover like fog or light foliage that makes the target difficult to see but does not affect the missile itself. Cover or concealment makes it more difficult to strike an intended target, and thus a penalty will be applied to the attacker’s die roll depending upon how much of the target is protected from attack. For concealment the attack penalty should range from -1 (25% obscured) to -4 (90% obscured). For hard cover, these penalties should be doubled.
Missile Weapon Rate of Fire
In general, missile weapons are allowed a single attack per round, just as are melee weapons. However, crossbows are an exception, as reloading a crossbow between shots is time-consuming.
A light crossbow can be fired once per two rounds, and the user may not perform any other actions (including movement) during the “reloading” round. A heavy crossbow can be fired just once per three rounds, again requiring the user to spend two rounds doing nothing other than cocking and loading the weapon in order to fire it again.
Siege engines also fire less often than ordinary weapons. The rate of fire for such a weapon is presented as a fraction, indicating the number of attacks per round; for example, 1/6 means one attack every six rounds.
Of course, the user of such a weapon may drop or sling the weapon and switch to another weapon rather than reloading. Also, it is possible (especially when defending a position) to load more than one crossbow in advance and then switch weapons each round until all have been fired. In a dungeon environment this sort of strategy is unlikely, of course.
Missiles That Miss
Missile weapons which miss the intended target are normally considered lost. However, if the weapon is fired into a melee where allies of the shooter are involved, and the attack misses, it may hit one of the allied creatures. The GM should decide which allies may be hit, and roll attacks against each until a hit is made or all possible targets are exhausted. These attack rolls are made with the shooter’s normal attack bonus, just as if he or she intended to attack the allied creature. However, the GM must make these rolls, not the player.
This rule is applied to attacks made by monsters, when appropriate. However, the GM still makes the rolls.
This rule is intentionally vague; the GM must decide when and how to apply it based on the circumstances of the battle. It is recommended that no more than three allies be “tried” in this way, but the GM may make an exception as he or she sees fit.
Brawling
Sometimes a character will attack without a weapon, striking with a fist or foot. This is called brawling. Normal characters do 1d3 points of subduing damage with a punch, 1d4 with a kick; kicks are rolled at a -2 attack penalty. A character in no armor or leather armor cannot successfully punch or kick a character in metal armor, and in fact, if this is attempted the damage is applied to the attacker instead of the defender. The GM must decide which monsters can be successfully attacked this way. All character classes may engage in brawling; there is no “weapon” restriction in this case.
Energy Drain
Sometimes characters are exposed to energy drain from undead or evil magic. Such energy drain is manifested in the form of “negative levels.” For each negative level a victim receives, he or she suffers a semi-permanent loss of one hit die worth of hit points, a penalty of -1 on all attack and saving throw rolls (and any other roll made on 1d20), and -5% to any percentile roll such as thief abilities. In addition, an affected spell caster loses access to one of his or her highest-level spell slots. The victim may or may not be allowed a saving throw to resist the effect (depending on the specific monster type).
If the character’s hit points are reduced to zero or less by means of energy drain, the victim is immediately slain. If the energy drain is caused by an undead monster, the victim will usually be transformed into that sort of undead (exact details vary by type of monster).
Negative levels may be removed by magic, such as the restoration spell. When a negative level is to be removed, divide the total number of hit points lost by the number of negative levels (rounding normally) to determine how many hit points are restored.
For example, a character suffers three negative levels of energy drain. The hit point losses rolled were 6, 5, and 2, for a total of 13 points lost. The first negative level removed restores 13 / 3 = 4.3333 hit points (which is rounded to 4 even). Now the character has two negative levels and has lost 9 hit points. The next time a negative level is removed, the character recovers 9 / 2 = 4.5 hit points, which is rounded to 5 even. Now the character has one negative level and 4 hit points lost. Removal of the last negative level will restore the remaining 4 points.
Those who have suffered energy drain generally have a gaunt, haggard look about them, noticeable by observant characters.
Constitution Point Losses
Any character who has lost Constitution points temporarily (such as due to a disease) may regain them with normal rest. The rate of recovery is one point per day, awarded each morning when the character awakens from a normal night’s sleep. If more than one Constitution point was lost, the character must make a save vs. Death Ray (without adjustments) to regain the final point; failure results in a permanent loss of that point.
If a Constitution loss results in a lower bonus or penalty, the character’s maximum hit points must be reduced appropriately; for instance, a character reduced from 16 to 15 Constitution goes from +2 to +1, thus losing one hit point per die rolled. If a reduction in maximum hit points reduces that figure to less than the character’s current hit points, reduce the current hit points to the new maximum hit point figure immediately.
When regaining Constitution, any increase that increases the character’s Constitution bonus results in the restoration of the hit points lost due to the reduction, added to the maximum hit point figure only. Current hit points will not be improved in this fashion, but rather must be regained by normal healing.
Characters suffer 1d6 damage per 10’ fallen, up to a maximum 20d6. Fractional distances are rounded to the nearest whole number, so that a fall of 1-4’ does no damage, 5’-14’ does 1d6, etc.
Deafness and Blindness
A deafened creature can react only to what it can see or feel, is surprised on 1-3 on 1d6, and suffers a -1 penalty to its Initiative rolls. A blinded creature is surprised on 1-4 on 1d6, suffers a -4 penalty to its attack rolls, a -4 penalty to its Armor Class, and a -2 penalty to its Initiative rolls. These effects are modified when dealing with monsters having unusual sensory abilities; for example, bats may be affected by deafness as if blinded instead.
These penalties are for characters or creatures recently handicapped. Those who are normally blind or deaf may have reduced penalties at the GM’s option.
Note that the penalty for attacking an invisible opponent is the same as the penalty for attacking blind, that is, -4 on the attack roll. Do not apply this twice… a blind character attacking an invisible opponent is no worse off than if they were attacking a visible one
Attacking a Vehicle
Attacks against vehicles (such as wagons or ships) are made against Armor Class 11. Each vehicle has listed Hardness and Hit Point values. Roll damage against the vehicle, and then reduce that damage by the Hardness value. Any excess damage is applied to the vehicle.
If the vehicle takes damage equal to or greater than the listed HP on one side, it is reduced to half speed due to wheel damage or a hull breach; if it takes this much again, it is immobilized, and this much damage will sink a ship.
Repairing a Vehicle
Damage done to a vehicle may be restored at a rate of 1d4 hit points per crew member per hour of labor. However, a vehicle can only be restored to 90% of its maximum hit points by field repairs; a damaged ship must be put into drydock and repaired by a shipwright and his crew, while a wagon, cart or chariot will require a wagonmaker to repair them. Costs of such repairs are left to the Game Master to decide.
+++Saving Throws