ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®2nd Edition

Player's Handbook Rules Supplement

The Complete Fighter's Handbook

CREDITSWritten by Aaron AllstonEdited by Steve WinterBlack and White Art by Valerie ValusekColor Art by John and Laura Lakey, Doug Chaffee, and Jeff EasleyTypography by Angelika Lokotz

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM and DUNGEONMASTER are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. The TSR logo, MONSTROUS MANUAL,and DM are trademarks owned by TSR Inc.©1989 TSR Inc. All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A. 9th printing, October 1994.

Distributed to the book and hobby trade in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.Distributed to the toy and hobby trade by regional distributors.This product is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America.Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibitedwithout the express written permission of TSR, Inc.

TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.201 Sheridan Springs Road 120 Church End, Cherry HintonLake Geneva, Cambridge CB1 3LBWI 53147 U.S.A. United Kingdom

ISBN 0-88038-779–3 2110XXX1501

IntroductionThe ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® 2nd Edition Player's Handbook and Dungeon

Master's Guide told you all you needed to know about playing warriors in the game. But it could bethat you want to know more than the bare minimum it takes to play the warrior classes.

That's where The Complete Fighter's Handbook comes in. In these pages, we're going to showyou lots of interesting things you can do with the warrior classes . . . things that the Player's Handbookand DMG didn't have room to show you.

Do you want to play fighter characters other than Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger? Here we'll giveyou rules for characters like barbarians, samurai, gladiators, amazons-they're all subsets of the threemain warrior classes, but they're here.

Do you want new combat rules? We have them. You'll find rules for different weapon styles,combat tactics, combat maneuvers, jousting, combat results, and many other fighter-oriented abilitieswithin these pages.

Is it new equipment you're after? That, too, is present in copious quantities, from new armor andweapons to new magic items.

Or perhaps you want some role-playing and campaigning tips for your fighter characters—oryour campaign in general. In these pages you'll find role-playing advice for fighter characters, anddiscussion of the role of the fighter in regular campaigns and in all-fighter campaigns.

Whether you're a player or DM, an intent rules lawyer or just someone wishing to add a littledepth to your campaign or character, you'll find something here for you. Have fun.

* * *

Incidentally, The Complete Fighter's Handbook presumes that you're using the AD&D® 2ndEdition game rules for Weapon Proficiencies and Nonweapon Proficiencies. Many of the rulespresented in this book depend on use of the proficiencies. So if you haven't been using them so far inyour campaign, we highly recommend that you familiarize yourself with them and introduce them intoyour playing.

Here's a special note for those of you who are using this Complete Fighter's Handbook withyour first edition AD&D® game instead of the new second edition: This supplement mentions a lot ofpage numbers from the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide. The page numbers citedare for the second edition, not the first; you'll have to ignore the page numbers given.

Table of ContentsIntroduction

CHAPTER 1Character Creation..................6Ability ScoresRacesClassesAlignmentWarrior KitsProficiencies................................................7Armorer

The WorkshopApprentices and Overseers..........8Time to Craft Armor....................9Cost to Craft Armor...................10Chance of Failure.......................11Added Expenses........................12Player-Character WorkshopsRepairing ArmorRepairing Magical Armor..........13

Bowyer/FletcherWeaponsmithing

Weaponsmithing Failure............14Weapon QualityWeapons Not Shown.................15

Money and EquipmentMagicExperience.................................................16

CHAPTER 2Warrior Kits...........................17Kits and WarriorsKits and the Warrior Classes.....................18Kits and Character CreationThe Warrior Kits........................................19

AmazonBarbarian...................................21Beast-Rider................................22Berserker....................................25Cavalier......................................27Gladiator....................................30Myrmidon..................................31Noble Warrior............................33Peasant Hero..............................35Pirate/Outlaw.............................36Samurai......................................37Savage........................................39Swashbuckler.............................41Wilderness Warrior....................42

Recording Kits on the Character Sheet.....44Warrior Kits and Multi-Class CharactersWarrior Kits and Dual-Class CharactersAbandoning a Kit......................................45Modifying the KitsCreating New Kits

CHAPTER 3Role-Playing...........................47Warrior Personalities

The Brash YouthThe Crude Crusher.....................48The Dangerous Antagonist........49The Doomed ChampionThe Fated Philosopher...............50The Merry ShowoffThe Natural Leader....................51The Sneaky Thinker

Changing Personality Types......................52The Warrior Campaign..............................53

Magical World vs. NonmagicalWorld

Magical WorldMostly Nonmagical World........54Strictly Nonmagical World

The Mixed-Warrior-Type Campaign.........55The One-Warrior-Type Campaign

AmazonsBarbarians and Berserkers.........56Beast Riders...............................57Cavaliers....................................58GladiatorsMyrmidons.................................59Noble WarriorsPeasant Heroes...........................60Pirates and Outlaws...................61Good-Guy Outlaws and PiratesBad-Guy Outlaws and PiratesSamurai......................................62SavagesSwashbucklers...........................63Wilderness Warriors

The Military Campaign.............................64Campaign vs. Mini-series

CHAPTER 4Combat Rules.........................66New Combat Rules

Off-Hand Weapons UseKneeling and SittingRange and Initiative

Weapon Proficiency Slots.........................67Intelligence and Proficiencies

Single-WeaponProficiency WeaponSpecializationWeapon-Group Proficiency.......68Tight GroupsBroad Groups.............................69Non-Groups...............................70

Weapon Specialization and Weapon GroupsAmbidexterityStyle Specialization...................................71Punching and Wrestling Specialization

Martial ArtsFighting Styles

The Four Fighting StylesSpecializing in the Styles...........72GuidelinesMultiple Style Specializations

Limitations on Style SpecializationSingle-Weapon StyleTwo-Hander Style......................73Weapon and Shield Style...........74Two-Weapon StyleSample Style Specialization......75

Melee ManeuversCalled Shots...............................................76

Striking a Specific Body PartSmashing Something Being HeldBypassing ArmorSpecial Results...........................77Disarm.......................................78

Thrown-Weapon and Missile Disarms...79Expert DisarmsGrab...........................................80Grabbing a PersonGrabbing a Monster...................81

Hold AttackCharacters with Multiple Attacks

Parry...........................................................82Choice of Parries

Polearm Parries..........................83Missile Weapon ParriesParrying from the DMG

PinPull/TripUse of Polearms........................................84SapShield-Punch.............................................85Shield-RushStrike/ThrustSurprise and Flash ManeuversDon't Say No; Determine Difficulty..........86Maneuvers in the Campaign......................87Punching, Wrestling, and Martial Arts

Specializing With Punching andWrestling....................................88Normal Punching AttacksPunching SpecializationNormal Wrestling Attacks.........89Wrestling SpecializationMartial ArtsMartial Arts Results...................90Descriptions of the Maneuvers..91Specializing in Martial ArtsMore Than One StyleContinuing Specialization..........92The Complete Martial ArtistIn Oriental Campaigns...............93Barehanded ManeuversCalled Shots: Punching and

Martial ArtsCalled Shots: WrestlingDisarm.......................................94GrabHold AttackParryPinPull/TripSapShield-PunchShield-RushStrike/Thrust

Hit Locations.............................................95 The "Numbed" and "Useless" Numbers

Body LocationsGeneral Effects of Called Shots

Specific Effects of Called Shots......96Recording These Injuries

Individual Injuries and Healing Magic...97Permanent and Crippling EffectsMonsters and Hit LocationsThis System and Low-LevelCharactersRecoveryRecovery of Temporary DamageRecording Temporary Damage

Recovering From Temporary Damage......98Magical Healing and TemporaryDamageRecovery From KnockoutTemporary Damage and KnockoutMagical Healing and Knockout

Combat ConditionsDarkness and Blindness.............99Unstable Ground......................100

Mounted Combat.....................................101JoustingLance SpecializationHorseback Archery..................102

TournamentsThe Basic TournamentThe Joust ListThe Jousting CompetitionBlunted Lances........................103Queen of Love and BeautyPrizesOther EventsArchery CompetitionFoot Lists.................................104Merchants' StallsDancing, Socializing

When to End CombatWhen Characters Don't Accept SurrenderWhen Characters Always Chase EscapeesWhen Characters Never Negotiate..........105Notes on the Combat SequenceTactics......................................................106

Shield Walls and PolearmsWolf-pack TacticsTactical Mix.............................107RotationSpear-CarriersDirecting Traffic......................108

Campaign TacticsJust Arriving in Town..............................109The Combat Sheet...................................110

CHAPTER 5Equipment............................111Old WeaponsOne-Hand, Two-HandNew Weapons..........................................112Gladiator Weapons..................................113Pirate Weapons........................................118Samurai Weapons....................................119Savage Weapons......................................122Swashbuckler Weapons...........................123New Armor..............................................124Gladiator ArmorSamurai Armor........................................125Effects of Armor

Effects on ACEffects on Speed......................126Effects on Dexterity ChecksEffects on Vision and Hearing.127Other Helms and HelmetsWhat Head Protection Doesn't DoVision and Hearing ChecksNo Head Protection

Variant Armor..........................................129Racial ArmorArmor FittingHigh-Quality Racial Armor.....131Piecemeal Armor......................132Weight of Piecemeal Suits.......133Magical Armor Gladiator Armor

Damage to Armor....................................134Piecemeal ArmorMagical ArmorRepairing ArmorEffects on the CampaignMagical Items..........................................135Miscellaneous Equipment.......................138

Chapter 1: Character CreationIn this chapter, we'll

briefly present notes on charactercreation in the AD&D® game.This is material you alreadyknow, but we'll be talking aboutcharacter creation as itspecifically applies to warriorplayer-characters (Fighters,Paladins, and Rangers).

Ability Scores

For a normal campaign,any of the six dice-rollingmethods from the Player'sHandbook is acceptable.

If you decide to run anall-warriors campaign (see theRole-Playing chapter of thisbook for details on such a thing),we recommend that you use oneof the five Alternate Dice-Rolling Methods presented.

Whether or not you runan all-warriors campaign, if youutilize the Warrior Kits chapterof this rule book, we recommendthat you use Method VI to createthe ability scores for yourcharacters. Because charactersusing the Warrior Kits are sospecialized, you'll find it helpfulto be able to custom-design yourcharacter ability scores, whichMethod VI allows you to do.

Races

Much of The CompleteFighter's Handbook is writtenwith the human character inmind. However, most of the textis equally applicable to all theother player-character races aswell, and can be used by themwithout any sort of adaptation

necessary.All the normal rules for

racial ability adjustments, classrestrictions, level limits,languages, and miscellaneousbonuses and penalties will beused, and all the material in thisbook can be used for all thedemihuman races except wherespecifically noted in the text.

Classes

The three warriorcharacter classes (Fighter,Paladin, and Ranger) are still theonly warrior character classes.However, those players whowould like to have morespecialized warrior classes willprobably find what they want inthe Warrior Kits chapter.

When you're creatingsingle-class warrior characters,we recommend that you start allfirst-level warriors with themaximum number of hit pointsthey can have at that level—don'teven bother to roll the dice. Inother words, if you have a first-level Fighter with a Constitutionof 16, he'd start with 12 hitpoints instead of rolling his 1d10and adding +2 for hisConstitution adjustment.

This is for a couple ofimportant reasons. First, it givesthe warrior a slightly betterchance for survival at lowerexperience levels. Second, itreflects the fact that warriors aresimply tougher and hardier thanother player-character classes.

But remember: This is forfirst level single-class warriorsonly. Starting with second level,

these Fighters, Paladins, andRangers have to roll their hitpoints like everyone else. Noother class gets this benefit, andmulti-class warriors (such aswarrior/thieves, warrior/mages,and the like) don't get to do this.

Alignment

The Complete Fighter'sHandbook follows all normalgame rules for characteralignments. Once the player haschosen an alignment for hischaracter, he needs to have hischoice approved by the DM; itmay be that his choice will clashexcessively with the alignmentsof other characters in the party,so the DM is within his rights todisapprove any alignmentchoice. (The chaotic evil fighterwho wants to play with thetroupe of wandering paladinswill be a problem.)

Warrior Kits

Once you've worked upyour character's ability scores,and then chosen his class andalignment, you can choose aWarrior Kit for the character.Warrior Kits are discussed in theWarrior Kits chapter of thisbook.

Chapter 1: Character CreationProficiencies

As the Introduction notes,use of the Proficiencies sectionof the AD&D 2nd EditionPlayer's Handbook is notoptional with The CompleteFighter's Handbook. TheProficiencies are necessary foryou to customize and fine-tuneyour character, and for the use ofthe Warrior Kits chapter of thisbook.

Use of the WeaponProficiencies are pretty muchself-evident after you read thePlayer's Handbook. Later in thisbook, though, in the Combatchapter, you'll learn someinteresting new things which youcan do with weaponproficiencies.

Don't forget that highIntelligence scores grant extraproficiencies (equal to thenumber of extra languages thecharacter receives for the samescore).

Here, let's talk aboutthree nonweapon proficiencies(Armorer, Bowyer/Fletcher, andWeaponsmithing) which are ofparticular use to the warriorplayer-character.

Armorer

With the Armorerproficiency, a character knowshow to build all varieties ofarmor. Armorer overlaps acouple of other proficiencies:

The Armorer knowsenough Blacksmithing to forgemetal armor and craft scale andchain mail (though he cannot

forge horseshoes, wrought irongates, hardened metal tools, orany other useful items unless healso knows Blacksmithing);

The Armorer knowsenough Leatherworking to cutand shape boiled leather intoleather armor, shield coverings,and the under-layers of scalemail and banded mail (though hecannot make dress jerkins,saddles, elaborate pouches orrucksacks, or any other usefulleather items). The Armorerknows enough of the Tailor's artto manufacture padded armorand armor padding (but notenough to cut and sew any sortof good-looking garment).

Naturally, the ordinaryBlacksmith cannot forge metalarmor, the Leatherworker is notexperienced with making leatherarmors, and the Tailor isn'tconversant with the making ofpadded armor, unless they alsotake the Armorer proficiency.

The Armorer can repairexisting armor that has takendamage (if you're using thatoptional rule), and can also craftbarding (horse armor) throughuse of his proficiency.

But what does all of thismean in a campaign?

The Workshop

To craft armor, thecharacter must first have aworkshop (a place to work andtools with which to do work).

Metal Armor

If he intends to make anysort of all-metal armor (chainmail, field mail, full plate, platemail, and helmets), the workshopis a smithy, complete with tools,bellows, a furnace, an anvil,tongs, cauldrons, casting molds,and all the other materialsnecessary to process unrefinedmetal into armor.

Such a workshop costs200 gp, plus the cost of theshelter where it is set up: Anadditional 100 gp for a paviliontent, an additional 300 gp for awell-crafted hut/workshop, ormore as part of a larger dwelling,such as a mansion, villa or castle(these sorts of dwellings arepriced at whatever sort of pricescheme the DM prefers).

(Included in the price ofthe smithy is the cost of the toolsnecessary to make leather hilt-wrappings, padded armor, armorlinings and padding, and thesimple leather straps used to holdall-metal armors together.)

This workshop is largeenough to accommodate thecharacter and up to twoapprentices working full-time.(The apprentices, too, must havethe Armorer proficiency; thecharacter can always take in anapprentice without theproficiency and train him, butuntil he acquires the Armorerproficiency he doesn't count as aproductive element of theworkshop.)

In theory, the charactercould hire another three-mancrew to work a second shift in

Chapter 1: Character Creationthe same workshop; thus theworkshop would be occupiednearly 24 hours a day. (Thispresumes eight- to ten-hourshifts and a certain amount ofnecessary nonproductive timeeach day: Time for furnaces tocool and be cleaned, tools to berepaired and sharpened, etc.) Nomore than three people can workin this workshop effectively;with more than three people, theworkshop suffers a loss ofefficiency so that it producesgoods just as though it were onlymanned by three armorers.

To expand the workshopcosts an additional 50% for each+three workers. If the smithycosts 200 gp and is set up in a300-gp hut, thus costing 500 gp,the builder could pay +250 gp.Then, the workshop wouldaccommodate three morearmorers at the same time. Foranother +250 gp, now totaling1,000 gp, the shop canaccommodate nine armorers atthe same time.

Leather Armor

If he intends to make anysort of all-leather armor (hidearmor, leather armor, andarmored leather caps), theworkshop is a leatherworker'sshop, including apparatus forleather soaking, scraping,tanning, boiling, boiling in wax,shaping, holepunching, sewing,and all the other processes bywhich leather is transformed intoarmor.

Such a workshop costs 25gp, plus the cost of the shelter

where it is set up: An additional25 gp for a large tent, anadditional 75 gp for a well-crafted hut/workshop, or more aspart of a larger dwelling (atwhatever price scheme the DMprefers).

(Included in the price ofthe leatherworker's shop is thecost of the tools necessary tomake padded armor and armorlinings and padding.)

As with the smithyabove, this price presumes oneprincipal leatherworker and up totwo apprentices may worktogether at the same time. Abovethat number costs 50% of theworkshop and housing costs peradditional three leatherworkers.

Metal and Leather Armor

If he intends to makeboth sorts of armor, or armorwhich combines both metal andleather elements (banded mail,brigandine, bronze plate mail,ring mail, scale mail, shields,splint mail, and studded leather),a combined workshop is needed.

Such a workshop costs250 gp, plus the cost of theshelter where it is set up: Anadditional 100 gp for a paviliontent, an additional 300 gp for awell-crafted hut/workshop, ormore as part of a larger dwelling(again, at whatever pricing theDM prefers).

(Included in the cost ofthe armorer's shop is the cost ofthe tools necessary to makewooden shield blanks and shieldframes, padded armor, and allarmor linings and padding

necessary to the armored goods.)As with the smithy

above, this price presumes oneprincipal armorer and up to twoapprentices; above that numbercosts +50% of the workshop andhousing costs per additionalthree armorers.

Apprentices and Overseers

The cost of the workshopconstitutes only the set-up costfor the armoring operation.Maintenance of the workshop,pay for the employees, and costof materials also come into play.Of course, so do the profits fromthe sale of manufactured goods.

Each apprentice costs2gp/week for food, upkeep, andtraining. And once anapprentices has reached youngadulthood (age 16) and hasachieved an Armorer abilitycheck of 12 or better, he'lldemand to be promoted toOverseer status (describedimmediately below) or will findbetter pickings elsewhere.

Apprentices cannot run aworkshop unsupervised.Supervision comes in the form ofan Overseer, an adult with anArmorer ability check of 12 orbetter. Each Overseer costs 15gp/week (the DM may wish tohave the cost relate to theOverseer's Armorer abilitycheck: 15 gp/week at a check of12, +15 gp/week per +1 to hisability check; thus, if his abilitycheck is 16, he costs 75gp/week).

Chapter 1: Character CreationTime to Craft Armor

To determine the time ittakes to make a piece of armor,take the armor's AC. The numberthat the AC is under 10,multiplied by two weeks, is thetime it takes an apprentice(supervised and aided by anOverseer) to craft the item.

Thus, a set of chain mail(AC 5) is calculated this way: 10– 5 = 5; 5 x two weeks = tenweeks. It takes 10 weeks to makea suit of chain mail.

* Two apprentices, no overseer** One apprentice, ½ overseer*** One apprentice, no overseer+ Two apprentices, one overseer++ ½ apprentice, no overseer+++ Cost reduced because ofeasy availability of materials;cost of "0 gp" means cost is anegligible

Standard Costs to Manufacture Armor

Armor Retail Materials Time Apprentice & TotalPiece Value Cost (gp) Taken Overseer CostBanded Mail 200 100 12 wk 48 * 148Brigandine 120 60 8 wk 32 * 92Bronze plate 400 200 12 wk 114 ** 314Chain mail 75 38 10 wk 20 *** 58Field Plate 2000 1000 16 wk 304 + 1304Full plate 7000 3500 18 wk 342 + 3842Helm/great 30 15 4 wk 8 *** 23Helm/basinet 8 4 1 wk 2 *** 6Hide armor 15 7 8 wk 8 ++ 15Leather armor 5 1 +++ 4 wk 4 ++ 5Padded armor 4 0 +++ 4 wk 4 ++ 4Plate mail 600 300 14 wk 133 ** 433Ring mail 100 50 6 wk 24 * 74Scale mail 120 60 8 wk 32 * 92Shield/body 10 5 2 wk 4 *** 9Shield/buckler 1 0+++ 2 wk 1 ++ 1Shield/medium 7 3 2 wk 4 *** 7Shield/small 3 1 2 wk 2 *** 3Splint mail 80 40 12 wk 24 *** 64Studded lthr 20 10 6 wk 6 ++ 16

Barding:

Chain 500 250 10 wk 190 + 440Full plate 2000 1000 16 wk 304 + 1304Full scale 1000 500 8 wk 152 + 652Half brig. 500 250 6 wk 114 + 364Half padded 100 50 2 wk 38 + 88Half scale 500 250 8 wk 152 + 402Lthr/Padded 150 75 4 wk 75 + 150

Chapter 1: Character CreationFor pieces of armor

which don't grant specific ACbenefits (like helmets), figure thetime at 1 week per 7.5 gp value.Thus, a great helm would takefour weeks to make (it costs 30gp); a basinet, one week and afew hours of the eighth day (itcosts 8 gp).

\Cost to Craft Armor

And it does cost moneyto craft armor. The cost is:

(a) About half the "retailvalue" of the armor piece formaterials; plus

(b) The cost ofmaintaining one or twoapprentices during the time ittakes to make the piece; plus

(c) Additional cost basedon how much of the overseer'stime and attention the projecttakes. (The project may take oneor two overseers full-time on theproject, may take only half oneoverseer's time on the project, ormay take none of the overseer'stime—the latter constituteprojects that the apprentices cando all by themselves, mostlyunsupervised.)

The previous table showsstandard costs to manufacturearmor.

In usual circumstances,the difference between the TotalCost and the Retail Value is theshop's profit when it sells a pieceof armor.

As you can see from thetable, hide armor, leather armor,padded armor, medium shieldsand small shields are little-to-no-profit propositions. However,

they keep the apprentices paidand keep work in the shop.

Playing With These Numbers

Now, the costs givenabove are not the final word onhow much it costs to makearmor. With your DM'spermission, you can skew thesenumbers around (both up anddown) through the followingmeans.

First, you can put extramen on a job. (Important Note: Ifoverseers are drafted to doapprentice-level work, oneoverseer counts as twoapprentices.) You can only putextra men on a job in incrementsof the original number of menrequired for the job: In otherwords, if the job required twoapprentices, you don't see animprovement in speed until youassign two more apprentices tothe job. At that point, you cut thespeed of the job in half.

Example: From thechart, you see it takes oneapprentice with no overseer tenweeks to work up a set of chainmail. That's a standard in thearmorer's industry; they'llalways tell you it takes ten weeksto work up a chain mailhauberk. But in an emergencysituation, they could put an extraapprentice on the job (eitherhave two working on it at once,or have one on the "day shift"and one on the "night shift").With twice the availablemanpower, it would only takehalf the time, or five weeks, tocreate the chain mail.

Second, if the Overseer isa player-character, he doesn'thave to pay himself as much.This is usually the case witharmorers when they first go intobusiness for themselves: Theypay the cost for materials and thecost for their apprentices, andwhatever they have left over istheir own salary, even if it ismuch less than the 15 gp/weekstandard mentioned above. (Thatnumber, 15 gp/week, representsa firm lower-middle-classstandard of living; an armorerwho earns less will be living at alower-class standard of living.)

With that in mind, we canre-interpret some of the numbersabove. Let's say that we have oneplayer-character armorer whowants to work up a set of hidearmor.

Hide armor normallytakes up half the work-day ofone apprentice for eight weeks. Itcosts 7 gp in materials, and hecan sell it on the usual market for15 gp. If just the chief armorer,who counts as an Overseer if hisArmorer ability check is 12 orbetter, works on this item alone,it will take him only two weeksto make the hide armor(remember, an Overseer countsas two apprentices; therefore,he's putting four times themanpower on the task as itcustomarily requires, thus cuttingthe time required to one-fourth,or two weeks). If he can sell itfor 15 gp, he's made 8 gp. He'searning a meager 4 gp a week,which is better than a poverty-level wage, but less than middle-class.

Chapter 1: Character CreationChance of Failure

It would seem that thething to do would be to set up anarmorer's shop and just buildfield plate and full plate, whichare the most profitable items ofarmor. However, that isn'tnecessarily so.

This is because, for everyitem of armor you make, youhave to make an Armorer AbilityCheck. At the end of the armor-making period, the mostexperienced (highest abilitycheck) character who workedcontinuously on the projectmakes his Armorer ability check.If he passes the check, the armoris just fine. If he fails it, it'sflawed.

If the character missedhis roll by 1, 2, 3, or 4, the armorlooks just fine. The maker knowsit's flawed, but this will not beobvious to anyone on casualinspection, and only anotherarmorer will be able to detectthat it's flawed . . . and only withcareful inspection. This type offlawed armor functions at 1 AChigher than it should (thusflawed full plate would be AC 2instead of 1). If the flawed armoris ever struck in real combat witha natural to-hit roll of 19 or 20, it"breaks" (caves in, splits open,etc.). Its AC goes up 4 (thus ourflawed full plate would shootfrom AC 2 to AC 6). Andbecause it's broken and hangingwrong, it hinders the player; untilhe can take it off (this takes 1d4rounds), he moves at half hisnormal rate and suffers a –4penalty to all of his attack rolls.

Obviously, mostreputable armorers would neversell a piece of flawed armor.They have their reputations toprotect, so they throw it away.They take a loss in money equalto the Total Cost of the armorfrom the chart above.

If the character misses hisroll by 5 or more, it's obvious toanyone, with casual inspection,that the armor is flawed. No onewill buy it at the normal retailvalue. The armorer might be ableto sell it at half the Total Costvalue to someone desperate forcheap armor, someone who'swilling to take the risk ofwearing flawed armor. If he can'tsell it, this too is a total loss.

Finally, not all armor isthe same in the level of difficultyit requires to manufacture. Somearmor is simple enough thatapprentices can work on it alone.Some is so complicated that onlymaster armorers should overseethis work. And hiring a masterarmorer costs more than justhiring a normal overseer.

The chart below showsthe relative difficulty ofmanufacturing these differenttypes of armor.

Mod to Armor Type ProfBanded Mail +1Brigandine +1Bronze plate 0Chain mail +3Field Plate –3Full plate –3Helm/great +3Helm/basinet +3Hide armor +3Leather armor +3Padded armor +3Plate mail 0Ring mail +1Scale mail +1Shield/body +3Shield/buckler +3Shield/medium +3Shield/small +3Splint mail +3Studded leather +3

Barding

Chain 0Full plate –3Full scale 0Half brig. 0Half padded 0Half scale 0Lthr/Padded 0

Chapter 1: Character CreationAs you can see, making

field plate and full plate is arisky proposition. Only the bestof independent armorers willundertake such a task becausethe potential losses are so great.(On the other hand, a hirelingarmorer will do it whenever hisemployer says, because all thefinancial risk is his employer's.)And player-character armorersrun these same financial riskswhen they try to make field plateand full plate for themselves ortheir friends.

Added Expenses

If the DM wishes, he canadd to the grief of a player-character armorer by confrontinghim with a lot of the hiddenexpenses of any such operation:

Bribery: In many places,local officials will expect a littlegraft in order for them to processthe necessary permits efficientlyand regularly. If the PC doesn'tpay up, those permits take along, long time (months) to beprocessed, and during that timethe PC can't operate a retailarmorer's shop.

Theft: Armorer's shopscan be burglarized just like anyother operation. Thieves arequite willing to steal some high-quality armor goods and fencethem elsewhere in the city.Depending on the quality of themerchandise lying around in theshop, this can be a seriousfinancial blow for the shop.

Unclaimed Goods:Sometimes a patron who custom-orders a piece of armor never

shows up to buy it. Maybe he'sbeen killed in the meantime;maybe he ran low on funds anddecided not even to tell thearmorer of his misfortune. And ifthe custom piece of armor wasdecorated or fine-tuned to thatspecific customer (for example,if it bears his coat of arms orunusual decoration), it could bethat no one else is willing to buyit . . . except at heavilydiscounted prices.

Unsold Stock: Armorersdon't just work up pieces ofarmor to order. The armorerfabricates numerous examples ofthe most common sorts of armor(leather and padded armor,shields) for the casual customerand as practice for theapprentices. Not all of this getssold, and a piece that is neversold is a few gold pieces out ofthe shop's coffers.

All in all, it may be safer,financially, for a player-characterto be a full-time adventurer andonly a part-time armorer.

Player-Character Workshops

Often, a PC Armorer whois also an adventurer will set upan armorer's shop and crew itwith a single overseer and twoapprentices. This shop's duty willbe to keep the PC supplied inarmor; also, whenever the PCreturns home, he can, if hewishes, operate the shop,especially in the "off-shift"(whichever shift the regular crewis not operating it).

If he does hire anoverseer, he'll have to pay the

rates according to the overseer'sability, as described above.

Note that a PC Armorercan make armor for his friends.He can't avoid paying theminimum cost for the materials,of course. The character cancarry a tent and leatherworker'sshop on the back of a horse, sohe can work on any sort of all-leather or padding armor whileon the road. But on the road, hecan only get in a couple of hours'work per day, so multiply allarmor-making times by four todetermine how long they take.

The character who doesall this extra work will be a littlemore tired than his fellows;reduce his Intelligence abilitycheck to spot upcoming dangers.

Repairing Armor

If you use the optionalrules for damaging armor foundin this rule book's Combatchapter, you can also use theArmorer proficiency to repairdamaged armor.

It costs the armorer1/100th the armor's retail valuefor each Damage Point that herepairs. Again, that's the cost tothe armorer, which assumes thatapprentices are doing the work,and unsupervised; apprenticescan perform all armor-repairfunctions. The cost to thearmorer, compared to theapprentice's wage, shows youhow long it takes to repair (2gp/week for one apprentice,remember).

Example: A set of chainmail has taken 10 points of

Chapter 1: Character Creationdamage in combat. The ownerbrings it in to be repaired. Retailvalue of chain mail is 75 gp, sothe cost to repair each point ofdamage will be .75 gp, or 75 cp.The armorer repairs the 10points of damage, which costshim 750 cp (75 sp). This is lessthan 1 gp, so the apprenticedoing the repairs takes abouttwo days to fix the chain maulhauberk.

Armorers typicallycharge a 50% profit on repairjobs. In the example above, thearmorer's cost was 75 sp;therefore, he'd charge thecustomer about 115 sp for therepair job.

Repairing Magical Armor

Magical armor is repairedin exactly the same way. Basethe cost for repairs on the normalretail value of the armor as if itwere not magical.

When magical armor isdamaged, holes may be driveninto it, but the basic enchantmentis unchanged. Therefore, thearmorer doesn't have to haverepair materials enchanted to"match" the original armor; allhe has to do is patch up the holesand the armor will be fixed.Typically, the armorer will noteven know that he's working onmagical armor.

Of course, as we discussin the Combat chapter, if a set ofmagical armor is damaged soseverely that the enchantment isruined, nothing a normal armorercan do will repair it. Armor thatseriously damaged is ruined even

as normal armor; an armorerwon't be able to fix it.

Bowyer/Fletcher

The material on theBowyer/Fletcher proficiencyfrom the Player's Handbook,page 58, is all correct for usewith this supplement.

A set of bowyer/fletcher'stools, which can be used atmaximum efficiency by onecharacter, costs 10 gp. (It's 15 gpfor a set which can be usedsimultaneously by three workers,and +7.5 gp per +3 workerswhich can work simultaneously.)The bowyer/fletcher is notrequired to set up a workshop; hecan work by himself in the field,if he chooses. If he chooses to setup a permanent shop, tents andhuts cost the same as what'slisted for the leatherworker'sshop (above, under "Armorer").

Note that the constructiontimes listed in the Player'sHandbook presume that he'sworking a full week. If he'straveling or adventuring andworking on bows and arrows inhis spare time, multiply allcrafting times by four. Thus, along or short bow takes fourweeks.

Cost of materials forarrows and normal bows isnegligible. If the character istrying to make a weapon of trulyfine quality, he must either pay50% of the weapon's normalretail value for exceptionally finewoods, or add an extra 100% tothe time it takes to craft theweapon; the extra time

constitutes him having to lookfor the perfect wood andmaterials in the wild.

Weaponsmithing

The text onWeaponsmithing proficiencyfrom the Player's Handbook isbasically correct, but let'selaborate on it.

As mentioned, aweaponsmith does need to havea smithy. The costs for having asmithy are given above in thissection, under "Armorer." Infact, the same smithy can beused for armoring andweaponsmithing.

The WeaponConstruction numbers onWeapon Construction table onpage 65 of the Player'sHandbook are correct. Itconstitutes one Overseer-levelweaponsmith working byhimself and crafting weapons ofaverage quality. An Overseerweaponsmith working with twoapprentices cuts the time in half.The time indicated on the chartshould be converted to weeks sothat you can compare theweaponsmith's times with thearmorer's; consider 5 days on thechart to constitute one week.

Chapter 1: Character CreationWeaponsmithing Failure

When constructing aweapon, at the end of theweapon-making process, theweaponsmith makes hisWeaponsmithing proficiencyability check. He'll use theProficiency Modifier based onthe weapon and the weaponquality he's trying to achieve; seethe chart below, under "WeaponQuality," for that modifier.

If he successfully makeshis check, he's created theweapon he wanted to create.

If he fails by 1, 2, 3, or 4,he's created a weapon that lookslike what he intended to make. . .but he knows it has a seriousstructural flaw. In a real combat,if the wielder rolls a natural 5 orless on his attack roll, theweapon breaks and is useless.(For some reason, it just won'tbreak in practice combats. . .only in the real thing.) He canstill sell the weapon, of course,but eventually, after he's donethis sort of thing a few times, hisreputation as a craftsman will beutterly ruined. It's better just tobreak the item, sell it as a wall-hanger, etc.

If he fails by 5 or more,the weapon breaks and is ruinedduring the last stages of thecreation process (for example,when it's being cooled after heat-tempering).

Weapon Quality

It is possible to constructweapons of different quality thanjust average.

Poor quality weapons areshabbily made. They look bad,and like the flawedweapons described above, theybreak on a natural attack roll of 1to 5. They don't hitas well (this is a penalty to theattack roll) or do as muchdamage (penalty to thedamage) as their average-qualityequivalents.

Average quality weaponsare not especially notable; theyget the job done, they'rereliable, and they're inexpensive.Unless otherwise noted, all (non-magical) weaponslisted on charts in the AD&D®game are of average quality.

Fine quality weapons arevery well-made. Each will haveone specific bonus:

Either a +1 to attack rolls or a +1to damage. This bonus is notmagical; it comes fromimproved balance, sharpness,etc. (The weaponsmithdetermines, when he's makingthe weapon, whether he's tryingto make it more accurate or makeit hit harder.) Theyalso cost a lot more than averageweapons. Enchantments aretypically made onweapons of at least Fine quality.

Exceptional qualityweapons are like fine weapons,but have both bonuses:They're +1 to attack rolls and +1to damage. They're also veryexpensive.

The following list,adapted from the list on page 65of the Player's Handbook,shows the differences in cost andtime to create weapons of thesedifferent levels ofquality.

Chapter 1: Character CreationTime to Construct

Weapon Type Poor Average Fine ExceptionalArrowhead 20/day 10/day 5/day 1/dayBattle Axe 5 days 10 days 20 days 45 daysHand Axe 2 days 5 days 10 days 20 daysDagger 3 days 5 days 10 days 20 daysH. Crossbow 10 days 20 days 45 days 90 daysL. Crossbow 8 days 15 days 30 days 60 daysFork, Trident 10 days 20 days 45 days 90 daysSpear, Lance 2 days 4 days 10 days 20 daysShort Sword 10 days 20 days 45 days 90 daysLong Sword 15 days 30 days 60 days 120 daysSword 20 days 45 days 90 days 180 days

Effects On Mod. To ProfPerformance Check to

Weapon Quality Attack Damage Breaks CraftPoor –1 –1 1–5 on d20 +2Average 0 0 1 on d20* 0Fine +1 +1 ** –2Exceptional +1 +1 ** –4

* This isn't an automatic break; it breaks only if the DM feels like it.** Fine weapons get either a +1 to attack rolls or +1 to damage, not both. Fine and Exceptionalweapons break only in remarkable circumstances, as dictated by the DM (for example, a powerfulenemy rolling a natural 20 when hitting the weapon, or the character rolling a natural 1 when striking atan artifact).

Weapons Not Shown

If you're trying toconstruct a weapon not shown onthis chart, compare it to the mostsimilar weapon that is on thechart and use those values. (TheDM has the final say on what ismost similar.) For instance, ifyou're trying to create a halberd,that's closest to a fork or trident.If you're trying to create abastard sword, that's closest to along sword.

Money and Equipment

The Complete Fighter'sHandbook follows all the normalPlayer's Handbook guidelinesfor the character's initial moneyand equipment . . . usually. Useof some of the Warrior Kits willdictate differences in the waysome characters spend theirbeginning money.

Magic

Some warrior characters(Paladins, Rangers, and multi-class Fighter/Mages andFighter/Priests) do have spells.At this point in the charactercreation process, for the multi-class characters, you and the DMwill have to determine thecharacter's spells. (Paladins andRangers wait until 9th and 8thlevels, respectively, to get theirspells, so you don't have toworry about them for a while.)

Chapter 1: Character CreationExperience

Here's an option youought to think about if you'replanning to run especially heroic,combat-heavy adventures orcampaigns.

You might wish to startall beginning player-charactersout at 3rd experience levelinstead of 1st. This makes them abit tougher, a bit more heroic,and a lot less fearful about dyingwith the first blow of their firstfight.

However, if you prefer tohave your beginning characters abit more nervous and defensive,then it's certainly moreappropriate for you to startbeginning characters at 1st level.

Character Sheet

At the back of the book isa character sheet especiallysuited for use with The CompleteFighter's Handbook. Take a lookat it, and then we'll discuss it ingreater detail.

Front of the Sheet

In the top box of thecharacter sheet's front, you putall the vital statistics of thecharacter: His name, physicaland racial characteristics, hischaracter class, his Warrior Kit(if he uses one—see the WarriorKits chapter), alignment, currentexperience level, his currentexperience earned, and theamount of experience it'll takehim to reach the next level.

In the second box, youput all the information relating tothe character's six ability scores(Strength, Dexterity,Constitution, Intelligence,Wisdom, and Charisma). All thisinformation comes from thecharts in the Player's Handbook,pages 14-18.

In the third, narrow, box,you write down any bonuses andabilities the character receivesbased on his race; for instance, ifhe's an elf, you'd put somethinglike "90% resistant to sleep andcharm; +1 to attack rolls withbow, short sword, long sword;can surprise opponents;infravision; 1 on d6 to detectsecret doors (1–2 on d6 whenlooking, 1–3 for portals)."

In the fourth box, youwrite down many of thecharacter's game-mechanicnotes: How many hit points hehas, how his hit dice arecalculated (with Fighters, you'dwrite "d10"), what his AC is,what his THAC0 is, what hissaving throws are, notes on hisfollowers and any specialabilities or restrictions from his character class choice (especiallyappropriate with paladins andrangers), and his SpellProgression (if any; this, too, isespecially appropriate forpaladins and rangers).

In the fifth box, you notedown any modifications made tothe character by the Warrior Kithe chooses (again, see theWarrior Kits chapter for details).

In the sixth (bottom) box,you record any of the character'sskill-type abilities: Hislanguages, his weaponproficiencies (andspecializations!), and hisnonweapon proficiencies.

Back of the Sheet

The back of the sheet isused mostly for equipment lists.

The top box is used torecord his weapons; here, youcan put all the information foundon the Weapons Table (Player'sHandbook, page 68).

The second box is usedfor short descriptions ofimportant equipment, especiallymagical items.

The third box allows theplayer to indicate where all hischaracter's important possessionsare normally kept. The DMshould insist that the players usethese blanks; it helps preventsmistakes from being made in anadventure. ("Of course I have myStaff of the Magi along! I alwayshave it taped to my Staff ofPower! No, really!")

And in the bottom boxyou can make any other notespertinent to the character.

The Next Step In CharacterCreation

For the next step in ourwarrior-oriented charactercreation process, turn to theWarrior Kits chapter, whichfollows immediately.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsSometimes it's just not

enough to be a Fighter, Paladinor Ranger. Each of those classesis a lot of fun, but there's nothingwhich says you want to berestricted only to three types offun.

So, here, we're going toshow you how to create and playother sorts of warrior characters.

Kits and Warriors

Each special warriordescribed in this chapter isdefined as a Kit of differentcharacteristics. The Kit consistsof the following elements:

Description: Thisparagraph talks about what thewarrior is. It's a generaldescription of the appearance,manner, cultural background anduse of the character in acampaign. It also lists anyrequirements necessary for thecharacter to take the Kit; forinstance, to be an Amazon, acharacter must be female.(Surprise!)

Role: This paragraphdescribes the role of this warriorin the society that spawned himand in an ongoing campaign. ASamurai has a different culturalrole from a Wilderness Warrior,even if both, say, are Paladins.

Secondary Skills: Ifyou're using the Secondary Skillsrules from AD&D® 2nd Edition,then your Kit may require yourwarrior to take a specific skill;the character may not be able tochoose or random-roll hisSecondary Skill.

Weapon Proficiencies:You must use the AD&D® 2ndEdition game rules for WeaponProficiencies in order to usethese Warrior Kits. Most of theseKits will require your warrior totake specific weaponproficiencies. A Samuraiwouldn't be the same without hiskatana, or a Noble Warriorwithout his lance, for example.

When required to take aspecific Weapon Proficiency, thewarrior must take that from thenumber of slots he has availableto "spend."

NonweaponProficiencies: You also must usethe Nonweapon Proficienciesrules from AD&D® 2nd Edition,as many Warrior Kits requireyour character to take specificnonweapon proficiencies. (Forinstance, it's foolish to be aPirate without Seamanship, or aWasteland Rider withoutRiding.)

But these requiredNonweapon Proficiencies arebonuses—given in addition tothe nonweapon proficiencychoices you normally choose.Sometimes a bonus proficiencywill come from a group otherthan the General or Warriorgroups, but, since it's a bonus, itdoesn't matter how many extraslots it would otherwise berequired to occupy.

Some proficiencies willmerely be recommended, notrequired. When a choice isrecommended, it is not given tothe character; if the characterdecides to take this nonweaponproficiency, he takes it from the

number of choices he has. Ifyou wish, you can use bothSecondary Skills andNonweapon Proficiencies inyour campaign, but you'll findthat character creation is simplerand more consistent if you useonly the Proficiencies rules.

Equipment: SomeWarrior Kits gravitate towardcertain types of equipment.Noble Warriors tend towardheavy armor and weapons suchas swords and lances; Pirateslean toward cutlasses, throwingknives, light or no armor, and thelike.

These equipment listingsaren't really restrictions or hard-and-fast rules. A Pirate on shoremay wish to deck himself out infull plate, for instance. But innormal circumstances, acharacter should gravitate towardthe types of equipmentappropriate for him, and the DMmust steer him toward suchequipment types.

For example, the piratewho keeps his full plate on whileaboard ship will be knockedoverboard time and time again asa reminder of why pirates don'tusually wear such cumbersomestuff. As he's being dragged tothe ocean bottom, he can reflecton his mistake. A noble warriorwho wears leathers whenjousting will almost certainly getwhat he deserves for his folly.

Special Benefits: MostWarrior Kits have some specialbenefits that others don't. Often,they're defined as specialreaction bonuses among certainclasses of society, special rights

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsin certain cultures, and so forth.Other benefits are more unusualor dramatic: The Berserker cancall on hidden resources ofstrength and vitality when incombat, for instances.

Special Hindrances:Likewise, each Warrior Kit hascertain disadvantages whichhinder him. Pirates are sought bythe authorities; Amazons facediscrimination in male-dominated societies.

Wealth Options: SomeWarrior Kits have special rulesregarding their wealth. TheNoble Warrior, for instance, willbegin play with more startinggold than some other WarriorKits. However, he's also requiredto maintain a higher standard ofliving than the others. If he failsto do so, he temporarily losessome of his Special Benefits.

Races: Each of these Kitsis written with the humancharacter in mind, and thisparagraph describes whathappens when you have ademihuman character instead.The DM will have to ask himselfif he wants certain race/WarriorKit combinations (Savage Elves?Dwarf Amazons? NobleHalfling-Warriors?). If he doesallow them, this paragraph willmake notes on recommendedracial modifications. Forinstance, the Noble Dwarf-Warrior will be required to beproficient with axe and hammerrather than sword and lance, andwon't be required to be a rider.

An Important Note

In the following sections,several Warrior Kits get reactionbonuses and penalties as part oftheir Special Benefits andSpecial Hindrances. A word ofcaution needs to accompanythem.

In the AD&D® game,when a character is verycharismatic, he gets what iscalled a "reaction adjustment."(See the Player's Handbook,page 18.) When the character hasa high Charisma and receives abonus, it's expressed as a plus:+2, for instance. When he has alow Charisma and receives apenalty, it's expressed as aminus: –3, for example.

However, when you rollthe 2d10 for encounter reactions(see the Encounter ReactionsTable, Dungeon Master's Guide)p. 103, don't add the bonus (+)or subtract the penalty (–) fromthe die roll. Do it the other wayaround. If the character has aCharisma of 16, and thus gets a+5 reaction adjustment, yousubtract that number from the2d10 die roll. (Otherwise theNPCs would be reacting evenmore badly because the characterwas charismatic!)

Kits and the WarriorClasses

In general, each Kit canbe used with each of the threewarrior classes. Your charactercan, for instance, be a BarbarianFighter, an Amazon Paladin, or aSamurai Ranger.

Some choices may be alittle questionable. For example,it's not likely that you'll beplaying a Pirate Paladin.However, it is possible. If yourband of pirates, in happy-go-lucky movie tradition, attacksonly the wicked, frees allinnocents, and performs in anotherwise mostly-honorablefashion, they're obviously not anevil group and a paladin couldadventure among them. If that'sthe sort of pirate campaign youand your DM agree to play, thenthat's fine.

When one warrior classcannot choose a specific WarriorKit, the exceptions will be noted.

Kits and CharacterCreation

You can only take oneWarrior Kit for your character.

You can only take aWarrior Kit for your characterwhen that character is firstcreated.

There's an exception tothat second rule: If you and yourDM both want to integrate theserules into an existing campaign,and both DM and players canagree upon what Warrior Kiteach existing player-charactermost closely resembles, then youcan use these rules for existingcharacters, adding a Warrior Kitto each existing character.

Once you've taken aWarrior Kit, you cannot changeit. Later in the character's life, hecan possibly abandon his Kit;see "Abandoning A Kit," later inthis chapter.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsThe Warrior Kits

Following are severalsorts of warriors represented byWarrior Kits. Before allowing hisplayers to choose Kits for theircharacters, the DM shouldreview these and make notes forhimself about them.

For each Warrior Kit, theDM has to choose:

(1) If he will even allowthis Kit in his campaign.

(2) What additionalinformation he needs to give theplayers about each Kit.

(3) What changes hemight wish to make to each Kit.

Let's take the Amazon Kitas an example. This Kit wasloosely derived from theAmazons of Greek myth. Butthis DM's Amazons may besubstantially different fromthose.

So, first, he has to decideif he will allow this Kit in hiscampaign. If he has any sort ofAmazons on his world, heprobably will allow this. If hehas no Amazons, then he won't.Let's presume that he does.

Second, he has to decidewhat additional information heneeds to give the players aboutthe Amazons. In his world, let'ssay, the Amazons live onLunyrra, a heavily forestedisland surrounded by almostunscaleable cliffs, and make waron the surrounding islands; whenplayers are interested in playingAmazons, he gives them thatinformation in addition to theKit.

Third, he has to decidewhat changes he wishes to maketo the Kit. Since his Amazons aresailors instead of famousequestrians, he changes therequired/bonus NonweaponProficiencies from Riding andAnimal Training to Seamanshipand Navigation.

By these means, he hasadapted the generic Warrior Kitbelow to his own campaignworld and made it fit in just as helikes.

Amazon

Description: Amazonsare women warriors in a male-dominated world. Theircivilization might have beencreated by a deity who likeswomen warriors; or they mighthave been women who rebelledfrom male domination anddecided to rule themselves; orthey might simply have beenmatriarchal societies from longbefore recorded history.

Whatever their origin,they now live in civilizations orcommunities where womenoccupy the positions and rolestraditionally held by men—and,in the campaign, that meansespecially the role of warriorsand adventurers.

An Amazon culture maybe small (a single town or island)or large (an entire country orcontinent), very advanced orvery primitive. Some Amazoncultures keep men as servantsand slaves, a stern reversal of theformer status; others have nomen in their communities, and

take long holidays in order tovisit friendly neighboring tribesof men; others perpetuate theirkind by being very hospitable toadventurers passing through theirterritory. (In this last instance,some Amazon cultures,afterwards, may decide to kill theadventurers; others don't.) Fordetails of exactly how theAmazon communities work inyour campaign world, consultyour DM. (And give him plentyof time to come up with theanswers if it's not something he'sthought about before.)

Traditionally, Amazonsare famous riders and breeders ofhorses. In their own countries,they wear light armor and carryshields, spears, swords andbows. In other countries, if theyare disadvantaged by theircultural weapons and armor, theyquickly adapt to local weaponsand armor.

Here's an important pointto remember: In mostcampaigns, you don't have to bean Amazon to be a femalewarrior; check with your DM forother ways to play a femalewarrior. The Amazons aremerely a very colorful anddistinctive type of femalewarrior. If a player wants to havea female warrior character, theDM should try to accommodatethe player whenever possible,and shouldn't have to resort tomaking the character an Amazonin order to allow her to be awarrior. In just about every real-world history and mythology,you'll find female warriors inmale dominated societies;

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsotherwise there would be noJoan of Arc or Atalanta ofCalydon.

There are no specialability-score requirements to bean Amazon.

Role: In her own society,regardless of the level ofcivilization, the Amazon warrioris very highly regarded. She isthe defender of the wholecivilization's way of life, andevery Amazon girl aspires togrow up to be a warrior. But inthe outer world, and in thecampaign in general, theAmazon is a curiosity, oftenregarded as a barbarian (nomatter how cultured hercivilization might be), stared at,whispered about. The people ofother cultures will be suspiciousof her, and she will probablystart out being uncomfortablearound men who appear to be hersocial equal—in her eyes, theyare the ones who are unnatural.

The DM will have toguide this situation carefully.Once the Amazon character hasproven herself in combat to herouter-world allies, and once theyhave proven themselves incombat to her, there's no reasonwhy they cannot be staunchallies. NPCs may continue totrouble her, but player-characters should not; and theother PCs should rise to herdefense when NPCs maketrouble for her; only the mostobnoxious of PCs wouldcontinue to give her trouble, andthe other PCs certainly shouldn'tsupport his attitude.

Secondary Skills:Required: Groom.

Weapon Proficiencies:Required: Spear, Long Bow.(Amazon fighters can Specializeonly in Spear or Long Bow.)Recommended: Various axes,swords.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Riding (Land-Based), Animal Training.Recommended: General—Animal Handling, (Warrior)Animal Lore, Armorer,Bowyer/Fletcher, Hunting,Running, Survival, Tracking.

Equipment: When anAmazon character is firstcreated, she must buy herweapons and armor from amongthe following choices only:Weapons—Battle Axe, Bow(Any), Club, Dagger/Dirk, Handor Throwing Axe, Javelin, Knife,Lance, Spear, Sword (any);Armor—Shield, Leather,Padded, Studded Leather,Brigandine, Scale Mail, Hide,Banded Mail, Bronze Plate Mail.Once she has adventuredelsewhere in the world, she maypurchase weapons and armorfrom those regions.

Special Benefits: Malewarriors in a civilization wherefemale warriors are rare tend tounderestimate the Amazon.Therefore, in any fight where theAmazon confronts a male who isnot familiar with her personallyor female warriors in general,she gets a +3 to attack rolls and+3 damage on her first blowonly. This is because heropponent's guard is down.

This doesn't work onplayer-characters unless theplayer is role-playing honestlyenough to declare that he, too,would underestimate her.

This ability doesn't workon some other types ofcharacters:

An NPC who is waryenough not to underestimate theAmazon might, with a successfulIntelligence check, see the attackcoming and deny her the bonus;

A seasoned veteran (anyWarrior of 5th level or higher, orany other character of 8th levelor higher), in spite of hisprejudice, will realize that she ismoving like a trained warriorand keep his guard up, denyingher the bonus.

If the Amazon hits anNPC with this attack, he'll neveragain be prey to it; if an NPCeven sees an Amazon hitsomeone with it, he'll never fallfor it himself. But if she missesthat first strike, then the targetwill continue to underestimateher and she can use thosebonuses again on her next strike.

Special Hindrances: TheAmazon suffers a –3 reactionroll adjustment from NPCs whoare from male-dominatedsocieties. This reactionadjustment goes away forcharacters who come to respecther, such as (presumably) her PCallies.

Wealth Options: TheAmazon gets the ordinary5d4x10 gp as starting money.

Races: The Amazonsfrom folklore and myth werehumans. It's not difficult to

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsenvision elvish or half-elvishclans of Amazons, either; they'dfollow the rules above for humanAmazons.

It's a little harder toenvision dwarvish, gnomish, orhalfling Amazons. But if you douse such civilizations:

Dwarf Amazons willhave Axe and Hammer as theirrequired weapon proficiencies;they are still Riders, butsubstitute swine for their mountof choice (swine are verydangerous, and the prospect of aferocious she-dwarf on the backof a biting boar is a dauntingone).

Gnome Amazons willhave Throwing Axe and ShortSword as their required weaponproficiencies; their BonusNonweapon Proficiencies areTracking and Survival.

Halfling Amazons willhave Javelin and Sling as theirrequired weapon proficiencies;their Bonus NonweaponProficiencies are Endurance andSet Snares; and you will have topresume that these halflingsaren't as fond of ease and leisureas the more common sorts ofhalflings.

Barbarian

Description: This is notthe barbarian of history, but thebarbarian of fantasy fiction. He'sa powerful warrior from aculture on the fringes ofcivilization. He's left his home tosell his skills and adventure inthe civilized world—perhaps toamass a fortune with which to

return home, perhaps to becomean important figure in thissocalled civilization. He's knownfor strength, cunning, contemptfor the outer world's decadence,and for adhering to his own codeof honor.

The barbarian is usuallyvery strong; therefore, thebarbarian must have a Strengthability score of 15 or more. Acharacter can come from abarbarian tribe and have a lowerStrength than that—but hecannot have the Barbarian Kit.

Role: The typical RPGbarbarian is a powerful,dangerous figure, as though hewere an animal totem in humanskin. In a campaign, he's a front-line fighter with some specialskills and a very differentoutlook than the rest of thecharacters; his player shouldalways play him as someonefrom a different land, someonewhose likes and dislikes andperceptions are based on adifferent culture. (If you playhim as just another warrior fromdown the street, you lose a lot ofthe mystique the character has.)

If the PC party has noreal leader, he may gravitate tothat role; if it has a good enoughleader, he'll probably stick tobeing a specialist in the things hedoes well.

Secondary Skills: TheDM will decide, based on thecharacter's background, whatsort of secondary skill would berequired. Most barbarian tribeshave a required skill; a tribe thatmakes its living by fishing wouldhave Fisher as its required

secondary skill.Weapon Proficiencies:

Required: Battle Axe, BastardSword. (These are the classicalfiction-barbarian weapons; theDM may decide to substituteothers more appropriate to hisown world.) Barbarian fightersmay specialize in any weapon,but are not likely to encounterunusual weapons (like lances,quarterstaves, flails, peculiarpolearms) until they reach theouter world. Recommended:Bow (any), Sling, Sword (any),War Hammer.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiency: Endurance.Recommended: General—Animal Handling, AnimalTraining, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Riding (Land-Based),Weather Sense, (Warrior) Blind-Fighting, Hunting,Mountaineering, Running, SetSnares, Survival, Tracking,(Priest—costs twice the listednumber of slots if Fighter orRanger, or just the listed numberif Paladin) Herbalism, (Rogue—costs double slots) Jumping. TheDM is within his rights to insistthat the Barbarian character takea proficiency in the tribalspecialty (Fishing, Agriculture,whatever) if the DM so wishes.

Equipment: Thecharacter, when he spends hisstarting gold, may not buy armorheavier than splint mail, bandedmail, or bronze plate mail.Outside his tribe, once he hasadventured in the outer world, hecan use any type of armorwithout penalty. When he spends

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitshis starting gold, he must limithimself to weapons the DM saysare appropriate for his tribe—theusual group of weapons includesbattle axe, bows (any), club,dagger or dirk, footman's flail,mace, or pick, hand or throwingaxe, sling, spear, or sword (any).

Special Benefits:Barbarians are impressivebecause of sheer strength,intensity, and animal magnetism;this gives them a +3 reactionadjustment bonus in certainsituations.

Whenever the barbariancharacter achieves a reaction rollof 8 or less (including Charismaand racial bonuses), you subtractthe modifier. That is, if thereaction is positive at all, it willbe even more positive than itotherwise would have been.

Example: Torath theToranaran is a Barbarian with aCharisma of 15. Encountering aknight who could be friend orfoe to him, he speaks with theknight in a friendly fashion. TheDM rolls his Encounter Reactionand achieves an 11 on 2d10. Onthe "Friendly" column of theEncounter Reactions chart fromthe Dungeon Master Guide, thisis a "Cautious" reaction.

But wait—his charismagives him a +3 bonus. The 11becomes an 8, still an indifferentreaction. But because he'sreached an 8, his Barbarianbonus comes into play, makingthe final reaction roll a 5: Afriendly reaction.

Special Hindrances: Allthat impressiveness can workagainst the Barbarian, too.

Whenever the barbariancharacter achieves a reaction rollof 14 or more, he takes anadditional –3 modifier. That is, ifthe reaction is negative at all, itwill be even more negative thanit otherwise would have been—the barbarian is scary, and theother person overreacts.

Example: Torath nextmeets a suspicious witch, and isindifferent toward her. On the"Indifferent" column of theEncounter Reactions chart, theDM rolls a 17. Torath'sCharisma bonus of 3 reduces theroll to a 14, but it's still enoughthat his Barbarian penalty justshoots it right back up to a 17again. The witch becomesThreatening.

Wealth Options: TheBarbarian gets the starting goldfor a Warrior (5d4x10 gp), but hemust spend it all (before startingplay) except three gp or less; hecan have some pocket changewhen he reaches civilization, butmust be close to penniless.

Races: DemihumanBarbarians follow the samerules. Dwarves are perhaps themost admirably suited to beingBarbarians. The DM will have todecide whether his elves, half-elves and gnomes are broodingand menacing enough to beBarbarians; the question is evenharder with the leisure-lovinghalflings. But if the DM wishesto allow any or all of thesedemihuman races to haveBarbarians among them, he may.

Final Note: Most classicfantasy-fiction barbarians aremale, but this Warrior Kit can

certainly be taken by femalecharacters, with all the Kit'srequirements, benefits, andhindrances in effect.

Beast-Rider

Description: The Beast-Rider is a warrior in a tribe orclan (usually a barbarian tribe)which has a strong affinity forone type of animal. The animalis the totem of the tribe, and theBeast-Rider makes friends veryeasily with that type of animaland can train it into a riding-beast. . . even if it's a type ofanimal not normally considered ariding-beast.

In a campaign, the Beast-Rider is an exotic warrior who isnotable for his kinship with hisanimal; like the Barbarian, hebrings a wild, outsider's attitudeinto the adventuring party. Hisanimal also has abilities whichcan benefit the adventuringparty. However, the moreunusual the animal is, the harderit is to accommodate in allsituations: It's no problem tostable a horse at the inn, but justtry stabling a great white wolf, awild boar, or a dolphin!

To be a Beast-Rider, thecharacter must have a Charismaof at least 13. (Naturally, thereare members of the Beast-Rider'stribe who are not themselvesBeast-Riders; the Beast-Ridersare the tribe's elite warriors.)

Role: As mentioned, inhis own society, the Beast-Rideris the elite warrior, and hecommands a lot of respectamong his own kind. Outside his

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitstribal grounds, however, he'svery definitely an outsider. Hisbarbarian mannerisms and hisobvious and very unusualfriendship with his animal sethim apart from most societies.Because of this, the Beast-Ridermay become especially attachedto the other playercharacters (ifthey treat him as an equal andnot a freak), even if he'd neveradmit it to them.

The DM needs toreinforce this social role byhaving NPCs react to the Beast-Rider's strangeness. For instance,NPCs will be leery of speakingto or negotiating with the Beast-Rider if there's a more"civilized" character on hand toperform those functions. TheDM needs constantly to use theBeast-Rider's reaction modifiers,listed below under "hindrances."

Secondary Skills: Ifyou're using the Secondary Skillsrules, the character must take theGroom (Animal Handling)secondary skill.

Weapon Proficiencies:Required: None. Recommended:All the weapons commonlyassociated with mountedwarriors—Bow (compositeshort, and short), Horseman'sflail, Horseman's mace,Horseman's pick, Lance (any,according to the size of theanimal), Spear, Bastard Sword,Long Sword.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Animal Training,Riding (Landbased). Thecharacter must declare which onesort of animal both these

proficiencies pertain to.Recommended: General—Animal Handling, DirectionSense, Firebuilding, (Priest)Healing (specifically veterinary),(Warrior) Animal Lore, Hunting,Mountaineering, Set Snares,Survival, Tracking.

Equipment: When he isfirst created, the Beast-Ridermay only have Hide, Leather, orPadded armor (plus shield andhelm). Later in the campaign, hemay switch to more advancedforms of armor. . . as long as hismount can carry him and thearmor both, of course. When firstcreated, he may have onlyweapons from the list aboveunder "Weapon Proficiencies."(The DM may change or add tothis list to reflect specificcultural details of the Beast-Rider's tribe.)

Special Benefits: TheBeast-Rider has an amazingrapport with one type of animal.The animal must be of a speciesnormally strong enough to carrythe Beast-Rider and act as amount. With the DM'spermission, the Beast-Ridercharacter gets to decide what sortof animal this is; the DM isencouraged to disallow any sortof animal that will give theBeast-Rider a great advantage inthe campaign (for example, apegasus or griffon).

The Beast-Rider gets a+5 positive reaction adjustmentwhenever dealing with theseanimals. He finds it easy to makefriends with them; on a die-rollresult of 9 or less (on the"Hostile" column of the

Encounter Reactions Table,Dungeon Master's Guide page103), he can even persuadeattacking animals of this sort toleave him and his allies alone.

Additionally, the Beast-Rider begins play in thecampaign with one of theseanimals as his personal friendand mount. This animal isdevoted to him and will risk (oreven sacrifice) its own life tosave the character; and thecharacter is expected to behavethe same way toward his mount.(If he doesn't role-play thisattachment to his animal, the DMshould decide that the characterhas abandoned this Warrior Kit,as per the guidelines given laterin this chapter.)

The Beast-Rider has atelepathic rapport with hisanimal. When in contact orvisual line of sight with hisanimal, he can tell what the beastis feeling, even thinking if it hassome intelligence; he and theanimal can communicate withone another without appearingto. When the two are not withinline of sight with one another,each will know the other'semotional state and whether ornot the other is hurt; each willknow the direction to travel tofind his friend, and theapproximate distance (a hundredyards, an hour's travel, severaldays' travel, for instance).

If the animal ever dies,the Beast-Rider can chooseanother animal of the same typeas his companion. However, theDM must include this situationas part of the campaign story:

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsThe character must seek outanother such animal, and mayonly be satisfied with thehealthiest, strongest, greatestexamples of this animal (in otherwords, if the character appears tobe content to settle with less, theDM tells him, "You sense youwon't be able to bond with thisanimal . . . "); then there must besome sort of bonding ritualbetween beast and man (forexample, a physical combatwhere the human must be able tosaddle and ride the animal inspite of its spirited attempts tothrow him). Only then can thecharacter have his new animal.

Following is a list ofmany animals which areappropriate mounts for theBeast- Rider. Note that not all ofthem are included in theMonstrous Compendium® series;if a player chooses one notincluded there, and the DMapproves the choice, the DM willhave to work up the animal'sabilities.

Bat, Huge *+ (mobat) (gnomesand halflings only may ride)BearBoarBuffaloCamelDolphin &Dragon *+ (only allowable in very high-powered heroic campaigns) ElephantGriffon *Hippogriff *HorseHyaenodonLizard (Fire, Giant, or Minotaur)

Lobster, Giant &Pegasus *Ray, Manta &Sea-Horse, Giant &SmilodonTiger, WildUnicorn (traditionally, only virgin lawful-good females may ride)Wolf, Dire (evil characters couldbond with a Winter Wolf)

* Flying animals do tend tochange the nature of a campaign,especially a low-level campaign,by making it easy for charactersto go long distances quickly, toavoid difficult terrain, etc. TheDM should disallow any suchchoice if it will cause problemsin his campaign.

+ Since many of these creaturesare evil, the DM may have tointroduce into his campaign anearly-identical race with neutralor good tendencies.

& This species only works ifmost of the campaign takes placein watery domains.

To calculate the weight-bearing abilities of theseanimals, compare them to the liston page 78 of the Player'sHandbook. Choose the animalfrom that list most resemblingyour animal in size and mass,and then use the values for thatanimal.

Special Hindrances: Asmentioned earlier, the Beast-Rider is out of place in mostsocieties. He takes a –3 negativereaction adjustment when

meeting NPCs from any culturebut his own. (The player-characters do not have to behostile to the Beast-Rider if theydo not wish, however.)

Also, should the Beast-Rider's animal ever die, whetherit's in the Beast-Rider's presenceor far away, the Beast-Riderimmediately takes 2d6 points ofdamage and must make a savingthrow vs. spells. If he fails thesaving throw, he behaves as if hewere a magic-user hit withfeeblemind for the next 2d6hours. Even if he makes thesaving throw, the player shouldrole-play the character'sreactions—he's just felt, throughtheir telepathic link, the death ofhis beloved friend, after all.

Wealth Options: TheBeast-Rider gets the ordinary5d4x10 gp for starting gold. Likethe Barbarian, however, he mustspend it all (before starting play)except 3 gp or less.

Races: This is a kit that isespecially appropriate fordemihuman characters. It's easyto envision dwarves on boars,elves on dire wolves, sea-elveson giant seahorses, and so on.

Notes: It adds a lot ofdetail and color to a campaign ifthe DM does a certain amount ofwork creating the society of eachBeast-Rider tribe. The tribe'sbehavior and activities would bedictated by the type of animal itwas tied to: Horse-Riders wouldlive on the plains, riding far andwide, while Boar-Riders wouldlive in forests and moist bottom-land, few ever traveling morethan five miles from their homevillage.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsBerserker

Description: TheBerserker is a warrior who hasspecial attributes and abilitieswhen he's in combat. In combat,he can achieve an ecstatic stateof mind that will enable him tofight longer, harder, and moresavagely than any human beinghas a right to. This makes him adeadly warrior . . . who can be asmuch a menace to himself as tohis enemies. In a campaign, he'snearly identical to the Barbarian— except it's obvious from theoutset that he has a truly savageand inhuman element in hispersonality, and he tends todisturb and unsettle other people.

Like the Barbarian, theBerserker must have a Strengthability score of 15 or more.

Role: In his tribe, theBerserker has a special role. He'sbeen touched by supernaturalforces, and accepted that touchso that he might better defend hispeople.

The idea of a BerserkerPaladin is a little strange, andsome Dms will prefer not toallow it. That's fine. It's notalways inappropriate, though. Ifthe character's tribe is deeplyinvolved with an appropriateanimal totem, such as a bear orwolverine, a paladin might evenbe required to be a Berserker,since the DM may reason that it'sonly the supernatural touch ofthe totem animal spirit that givesthe paladin his other powers.But, again, that's up to theindividual DM.

Secondary Skills: Aswith the Barbarian, the DM willdecide what sort of secondaryskill is most appropriate for thatspecific barbarian/berserkertribe.

Weapon Proficiencies:No specific weapon proficienciesare required of the Berserker—but he may not start out playhaving a proficiency in a rangedweapon (no thrown axes orknives, no bows or crossbows,etc.). The Berserker lives todestroy things in hand-to-handcombat, so he cannot start playwith any sort of ranged weaponproficiency. He can learn othersduring the course of thecampaign, if he and his DM wishto allow it—but it's a little out ofcharacter for the Berserker.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiency: Endurance.Recommended: General—Animal Handling, AnimalTraining, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Riding (Land-Based),Weather Sense, (Warrior) Blind-Fighting, Hunting,Mountaineering, Running, SetSnares, Survival, Tracking,(Priest—costs twice the listednumber of slots if Fighter orRanger) Herbalism, (Rogue—costs double slots) Jumping. Aswith the Barbarian, the DM maychoose to insist that theBerserker character take aproficiency in the tribal specialty(Trapping, Agriculture, etc.).

Equipment: As with theBarbarian, the Berserker may notuse his starting gold to buyarmor heavier than splint mail,

banded mail, or bronze platemail. Once he has adventured inthe outer world, he can use anytype of armor without penalty.When he spends his startinggold, he must limit himself toweapons known to his tribe, andmay not choose missile weapons.Good choices include battle axe,club, dagger or dirk, footman'sflail, mace, or pick, hand axe,spear, or sword (any).

Special Benefits:Berserkers receive a +3 reactionadjustment bonus from NPCsbelonging to any tribe that alsohas Berserkers—they recognizethe Berserker instinctively andrespect him, even if he is anenemy.

The other benefit theBerserker receives is his Berserk.

At any time, theBerserker may choose to GoBerserk. This isn't aninstantaneous process—he mustspend a little time to "psychhimself up." It takes a full turn(ten combat rounds) to GoBerserk. In that time, thecharacter is growling, moaning,uttering imprecations . . . it'simpossible to be quiet whentrying to Go Berserk. He mayalso be fighting during that time,meaning that he can start to GoBerserk on the round the fightbegins, fight for ten full rounds,and then be Berserk on theeleventhround.

Of course, when theBerserker knows a fight iscoming, he can begin to GoBerserk, even if there is no fightcurrently going on. At the end of

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsa full turn of preparation, he canbecome Berserk instantaneously.If there's no enemy in sight yet,he can hold the Berserk untilcombat is engaged. But if nocombat takes place within fivemore full turns, he automaticallyreverts to "normal" and suffersthe ordinary consequences forcoming out of a Berserk(described below). The charactercan come out of his Berserk oncethe last enemy is down (he mustliterally be down on the ground,even if still alive andsurrendering; the Berserker willstay berserk and continuefighting so long as there areenemies still on their feet). Oncethe fight ends, the Berserkermust come out of his Berserkstate.

For these reasons,Berserking is a more appropriatereaction when the characters areabout to attack or be attacked bya foe they know about. If thecharacters are, instead, jumpedby a small party of orcs, it'susually not worth the effort toGo Berserk; the consequencesand effort outweigh the benefits.

When Berserk, thecharacter has phenomenalendurance and resistance to painand some forms of magic. Onlywhile Berserk, he gains thefollowing benefits:

(1) He is immune (noSaving Throw is necessary) tothe wizard spells charm person,friends, hypnotism, sleep,irritation, ray of enfeeblement,scare, geas, and the clericalspells command, charm personor mammal, enthrall, cloak of

bravery, and symbol.(2) He gets a +4 to save

against the wizard spellsblindness, Tasha'suncontrollable hideous laughter,hold person, charm monster, andconfusion, and the clerical spellshold person and hold animal.

(3) The emotion spell hasno effect on the Berserker, unlessthe caster chose the fear result. Iffear was chosen, the Berserkergets a normal Saving Throw; ifhe makes it, he continues on asbefore, but if he fails it, he isprematurely snapped out of hisBerserk, with all the normaleffects of coming out of theBerserk (but he doesn't sufferother fear effect). The fear spellhas exactly the same effect: If hesaves, there is no effect, and if hedoesn't save, he's snapped out ofthe Berserk. If he fails a savingthrow against charm monster, hesimply counts the caster as oneof his allies; he doesn't come outof the Berserk or obey thecaster's commands.

(4) Being Berserk offersno real protection from finger ofdeath, except that the spelleffects do not take place until thecharacter has come out of hisBerserk. If the Berserker saves,he doesn't suffer the 2d8+1damage until immediately afterhe snaps out of the Berserk. If hefails to save, he doesn't die untilhe snaps out of the Berserk.

(5) The Berserker, whileBerserk, is immune to KO resultsfrom the Punching and Wrestlingrules, and takes only half damagefrom bare-handed attacks fromthese rules.

(6) While Berserk, thecharacter gets +1 to attack, +3 todamage, and +5 hp.

Special Hindrances: TheBerserker has hindrances assevere as all those benefits hereceives.

(1) The Berserkercharacter receives a –3 reactionfrom all NPCs (except, that is,characters from tribes whichhave berserkers in them, asdescribed above).

(2) When the Berserkergoes Berserk, the DM shouldimmediately say to him, "Tell mehow many hit points youcurrently have." From that pointuntil the fight is done and theBerserker has returned tonormal, the DM keeps track ofhis hit points. The player is nottold how many hp he has left,nor how many points of damagehe is taking with each attack.(After all, the character can feelno pain . . . so he cannot keeptrack of how close he is todeath.) The DM simply tells himsomething like: "The orc-captainhits you with his axe, a mightyblow which you barely feel . . ."It is therefore very possible for aBerserker to be nickled anddimed to death and not know ituntil he drops dead. The DM canalso, if he so chooses, roll allSaving Throws for the Berserker,not telling the player whetherthey were failures or successes.

(3) While Berserk, thecharacter can use no rangedweapons. He kills only in hand-to-hand or melee-weaponcombat.

Chapter 2: Warrior Kits(4) While Berserk, he

must fight each opponent untilthat opponent is down. Once anopponent is felled, the Berserkermust move to the nearest enemyand attack him. He can't, forinstance, choose to attack theenemy leader if that leader isbehind seven ranks of spearmen.The Berserker must keepfighting until all enemies aredown, as described earlier.

(5) While Berserk, thecharacter cannot take coveragainst missile fire.

(6) If, while the characteris Berserk, another charactertries something he can interpretas attack (for instance, hits himto move him out of the way of anincoming attack,) the Berserkermust roll 1d20 vs. hisIntelligence. If he succeeds (thatis, rolls his Intelligence score orless), he's dimly aware that hisfriend is not attacking him. If hefails (rolls higher than hisIntelligence), he now thinks hisfriend is an enemy, and continuesto think so until the fight is doneand he is no longer Berserk.

(7) While Berserk, thecharacter is temporarilyunaffected by the clerical spellsbless, cure light wounds, aid,cure serious wounds, curecritical wounds, heal, regenerate(and wither). He will gain thebenefits of those spells onlyafter he has come out of hisBerserk and suffered any and alldamages which occurred then.

(8) The taunt spell isautomatically successful, andwill cause the Berserker toabandon his current enemy and

rush to attack the taunter.(9) Finally, when the

character comes out of hisBerserk, bad things happen tohim. He loses the 5 hp he gainedwhen he became Berserk. (Thiscould drop him to or below 0 hpand kill him, of course.) Hecollapses in exhaustion (exactlyas if hit by a ray of enfeeblement,no saving throw possible, for oneround for every round he wasBerserk. He suffers the effects ofany spells which wait until he'sreturned to normal beforeaffecting him (finger of death,for instance). And only then canhealing spells affect him.

Wealth Options: TheBerserker gets the ordinary5d4x10 gp for starting gold. Likethe Barbarian, however, he mustspend it all (before starting play)except three gp or less.

Races: It's the DM'schoice as to whether hisdemihuman characters can haveBerserkers among them. It'sentirely appropriate for dwarves,and not inappropriate for elves,gnomes and half-elves. HalflingBerserkers are not very likely. Inany case, demihuman Berserkerswould not advertise the fact thatthey were such; until the firsttime they Berserked in combat,their companions wouldprobably be unaware that theywere Berserkers. (The DM canhelp preserve the secret by notpublicizing the fact that all NPCsare taking a –3 to reaction rollsconcerning the Berserkercharacters.)

Cavalier

Description: TheCavalier is the ultimate mountedwarrior of civilized cultures,especially those of Middle Agestechnology and outlook. In acampaign, he's the shining knightwho leads his fellows on aneternal quest for truth, justice,and the elimination of evil. Tothe world at large, he's a mightyhero. To his friends and allies,he's a staunch friend, a tirelesscheerleader, and often anoverenthusiastic pain in the neck.

This is a good WarriorKit for paladins to take. It can beargued that paladins looksomething like this already, butthat isn't necessarily so: Onlypaladins of cultures resemblingmedieval Europe would look likethis (a paladin of a Japanese-typeculture, a paladin of aPolynesian-like culture, and apaladin of a culture resemblinglater Renaissance Europe wouldall be very different from theCavalier). Therefore, a paladinwho wants to look every inch theshining knight should take theCavalier Warrior Kit.

The Cavalier kitresembles the Noble Warrior kit(q.v.) in that both are noblemenwarriors, but the Noble Warrioris primarily interested indefending the rights andmaintaining the status quo of hissocial class, while the Cavalierpursues loftier goals.

To be a cavalier, thecharacter must be of any goodalignment (chaotic good, neutralgood, lawful good) and have at

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsleast the following minimumability scores: Strength 15,Dexterity 15, Constitution 15,Intelligence 10, Wisdom 10.

Also, the character mustbelong to the noble social classin the campaign. It's up to theDM to determine whether this ispossible. If his campaign uses arandom die-roll to determinewho's nobility and who isn't,then the character must firstsuccessfully roll to be noble inorder to be a Cavalier. If it'smore of a role-playing exercisein the campaign, then anycharacter who takes the CavalierWarrior Kit will be presumed tobe of the nobility. (This doesn'tmean that he has a lot of money;it's quite likely that he belongs toan impoverished noble family,one with a lot of honorabletradition but no money to speakof.)

Fighters and Paladinsmay be Cavaliers; Rangers maynot. Only humans, elves, andhalf-elves may be Cavaliers.

Role: In his own andsimilar cultures, the Cavalier is amighty hero who has the respectof the majority of the population(the criminal classes and evilcharacters excepted). He has thegood-will of the people(reflected as bonuses to hisreaction rolls), but the peoplealso make many demands ofhim: When there's danger, whensomeone is in trouble, the peopleturn to the Cavalier for help.This character does not get muchtime for rest and relaxation.

Secondary Skills: Ifyou're using the Secondary Skillsrules, the Cavalier must takeGroom.

Weapon Proficiencies:Required: Lance (any; playerchoice) and Sword (any; playerchoice). Recommended: Allother Lances, all other Swords,all Horsemen's weapons, Dagger,Spear, Javelin.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Riding, (Land-based, horse), Etiquette.Recommended: AnimalHandling, Animal Training,Dancing, Heraldry, (Priest,double slots unless Paladin)Musical Instrument,Reading/Writing, (Warrior)Blind-Fighting, Endurance.

Equipment: TheCavalier must start play with(i.e., spend his initial gold on) atleast two weapons, including onelance and one sword, and mustthen buy the most expensive setof armor he can still afford. Afterthose expenditures, whateverremains of his gold can be spenton items of his choice.

Special Benefits: TheCavalier enjoys many specialbenefits, including: At 1st level,he gets a +1 to attack rolls withany lance for which he hasproficiency, when using thelance from horseback. This goesup +1 every six experience levels(so he'll be +2 at 7th level, +3 at13th, etc.).

At 3rd level, he gets a +1to attack rolls with any one typeof sword (his choice from amongthose he has proficiency with;

most common are broad sword,long sword, bastard sword, andscimitar). This goes up +1 everysix experience levels (so he'll be+2 at 9th level, +3 at 15th, etc.).

At 5th level, he gets a +1to attack rolls with eitherhorseman's mace, horseman'sflail, or horseman's pick (hischoice from among those he hasproficiency with). This goes up+1 every six experience levels(so he'll be +2 at 11th level, +3 at17th level, etc.).

These pluses to attackrolls do not add to damage, anddon't allow the Cavalier tohit a monster that can only be hitby magical weapons.

The Cavalier iscompletely immune to the fearspell. Because he is so brave, heinspires others to courage, andso, while he is fighting, heactually radiates an emotion spellin a 10' radius. This emotionspell radiates courage (see thewriteup for the 4thlevel wizardspell emotion), but only to theextent that it negates fear; it doesnot bestow the berserk fury thatthe actual wizard spell provides.

The Cavalier is +4 tosave vs. all magic which wouldaffect his mind, such as thewizard spells charm person,friends, hypnotism, sleep,irritation, ray of enfeeblement,scare, and geas, and the clericalspells command, charm personor mammal, enthrall, cloak ofbravery, and symbol.

The Cavalier starts playwith a horse which he does nothave to pay for. This will beeither a heavy war horse,

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsmedium war horse, or light warhorse (see the MonstrousManual Volume One entry onHorses). The player may choosewhat sort of horse it is, subject tothe DM's approval. It willautomatically be a Charger (seethe section on Horse Quality inthe Dungeon Master Guide, page36); the DM may roll for itspersonality traits according tothose rules. If this horse dies, theCavalier has to acquire himselfanother one through the usualcampaign means (buy one, begiven one for noble deeds, etc.),but will not be content with anyhorse which is not a war horse ofCharger quality.

The Cavalier receives a+3 reaction from anyone of hisown culture (except criminalsand characters of evil alignment,from whom he receives a –3).

And finally, the Cavalierhas the right to demand shelter.When he travels, he can demandshelter from anyone in his ownnation who is of status lowerthan nobility. And most people ofhis own status or higher will behappy to offer him shelter whenhe is travelling.

Special Hindrances: Forall these benefits, the Cavalierhas some pretty hefty hindrancesas well.

The Cavalier cannotattack an opponent at range if hecan instead charge ahead andattack him in melee or joustingcombat. Therefore, he cannotsnipe on enemies with a bow orcrossbow; he cannot use apolearm from behind a shieldwall. He has to be on the front

line, meeting his foes face-to-face. (A Cavalier couldconceivably shoot an opponentwith an arrow to stop thatopponent from killing aninnocent person; that doesn'tconstitute a violation of his code.But he couldn't shoot the enemyto protect a friend if his friend isfighting that enemyhonorably . . . even if his friendis losing.)

In any combat, theCavalier must attack the enemywho is the biggest and mostpowerful-looking. If he's held upby lesser troops, he mustdispatch them as quickly aspossible and then get to his"real" opponent.

He must always have thehighest-quality armor he canafford. As he goes through hisearly experience levels, if he hasthe money, he'll constantly beselling his old armor and buyingthe next most protective set ofarmor. His goal is to have a setof full plate armor; the next stepdown from that is field plate,then plate mail, then bronze platemail, then banded or splint, thenchain, then scale or brigandine,then ring or studded. And to him,magic bonuses don't mean asmuch as the type of armor: Heprefers a suit of ordinary fieldplate to a set of banded mail +5.The DM must rigorously enforcethis limitation on the character ifthe player is inclined to ignore it.

The Cavalier must alsofollow the very strict Code ofChivalry. In most AD&D® gamecampaigns, his code includesthese rules: He must cheerfully

perform any noble service orquest asked of him; he mustdefend, to the death, any personor item placed in his charge; hemust show courage andenterprise when obeying hisrulers; he must show respect forall peers and equals; he musthonor all those above his station(his social class); he mustdemand respect and obediencefrom those below his station; hemust scorn those who are lowlyand ignoble (he will not help theill-mannered, the coarse, thecrude; he will not use equipmentwhich is badly-made or inferior;he will fight on foot beforeriding a nag; etc.); he mustperform military service to hislord whenever asked; he mustshow courtesy to all ladies (if theCavalier is male); he must regardwar as the flowering of chivalry,and a noble enterprise; he mustregard battle as the test ofmanhood, and combat as glory;he must achieve personal gloryin battle; he must slay all thosewho oppose his cause; and hemust choose death beforedishonor.

If a Cavalier chooses notto follow this code, bad thingshappen. The first time he breakshis vows, the DM will warn theplayer that the Cavalier feels badabout violating his code. Thesecond time he breaks his vows,the Cavalier loses all his specialbenefits until such time as herepents and undertakes adangerous task to redeemhimself. When performing thistask, he must behave accordingto his code and his hindrances.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsOnly when the task issuccessfully accomplished doeshe regain his benefits.

If the Cavalier breaks hisvow a third time withoutrepenting and undertaking thattask, he has abandoned hisCavalier Warrior Kit. Hepermanently loses all the specialbenefits of the Kit. He no longerhas to obey his knightly code. Hereceives a permanent –3 reactionadjustment from all members ofhis own culture (even those whodo not know of his past will beput off by the air of treacheryand faithlessness that now hauntsthe man). His horse, even if it isnot the one he began play with,leaves him—either rides off intothe sunset without him, orattacks him. He may never ride itagain, even if he kills it trying todo so. See "Abandoning a Kit"later in this chapter.

Wealth Options: TheCavalier gets the standard5d4x10 gp in starting gold.

Races: Of thedemihuman races, only elves andhalf-elves may be Cavaliers.

Gladiator

Description: Thegladiator is a showman-warriorfrom a society where publiccombat competitions are apopular sport. The gladiator is aprofessional warrior in this high-profile arena; for the delight (andbloodlust) of the crowds, for hisown personal wealth andaggrandizement (or, if he is aslave, for the profits of hisowner), he fights organized

matches against human,demihuman, and even monstrousopponents.

There are no specialability-score requirements to be aGladiator.

Role: For the Gladiatorto appear in a campaign, the DMmust establish that at least oneculture has gladiatorial combats,and the Gladiator character mustcome from such a culture. (Heneed not have been bornthere . . . but he will either havebeen a slave there or, if he was afreeman, will feel like anaturalized citizen there.) AGladiator player-character can bean active gladiator in the arena,one who adventures in his freetime (or within some othercontext of the current adventure),or can have formerly been agladiator now living the life ofthe adventurer.

In the campaign, theGladiator is going to be a showy,high-profile warrior. Heperforms dangerous stunts incombat. He attracts the attentionof crowds of admirers. Hereceives a lot of credit for bravedeeds whether he deserves thecredit or not. A Gladiator can bea callous brute, a dirty arenafighter with no interests otherthan killing his enemy as quicklyas possible and making off withhis prize; or he can be a clean-limbed, heroic figure, a hero whoalways fights honorably in thearena and never kills when hedoes not have to.

DMs take note: aGladiator character is not likelyto be a Ranger. You can permit it

if you wish, but Rangers are verywilderness-oriented characters,and Gladiators are very urban. ARanger could have beencaptured, enslaved, trained as aGladiator, and then escaped—butstill, the Ranger and Gladiatorpersonalities don't seem to worktogether very well. Allow thisonly if you really wish to.

It's up to the DM todecide whether there are femalegladiators on his world. Unlesshis campaign is already rigidlyset up to prevent it, he might aswell allow it; a she-gladiatorcharacter could be a veryinteresting one.

Secondary Skills: TheGladiator character receives hissecondary skill through whatevermeans is usual for the campaign—by choice or random die-roll.This skill probably represents thetrade he learned before becominga Gladiator.

Weapon Proficiencies:Required: short sword (gladius),trident, net. Gladiators shouldlearn an even mix of normal andunusual weapons; the DM iswithin his rights to insist that theGladiator learn one strangeweapon proficiency (such aswhip) for every "normal"proficiency (like sword, spear,etc.). (Also, see the Equipmentchapter, under "New Arms" and"New Armor," for weapons andarmor especially appropriate toGladiator characters.)

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: (Warrior)Charioteering, (Rogue)Tumbling (for the combat

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsshowmanship that characterizesarena fighting). Recommended:(General) Animal Handling,Animal Training, Etiquette,Riding (Land-Based), (Warrior)Armorer, Blind-Fighting,Endurance, Gaming,Weaponsmithing, (Priest)Healing (double slots unlessPaladin).

Equipment: TheGladiator may buy any sort ofnon-magical weapon orcombination of weapons beforebeginning play. However, hemust choose his armor from thelisting of Gladiator Armor in theEquipment chapter, under "NewArmors."

Special Benefits:Gladiators, because of theirintensive training, get a freeWeapon Specialization (seeunder "Weapon Specialization"in the 2nd Edition Player'sHandbook). This doesn't cost anyof their beginning weaponproficiencies: They still get allfour of those, and get thisSpecialization free. It must bechosen from one of the followingweapons: bow (choice), cestus*,dagger, drusus*, lasso*, net*,scimitar, short sword, spear,trident, and whip. (The "*"indicates a new weapon found inthe Equipment chapter.)

Special Hindrances:Gladiators tend to be recognized—as Gladiators, at least, if notby their own names—whereverthey go. This makes it moredifficult for them to do things insecret; some troublesome NPC isalways remembering "the tall,fair haired gladiator" who was at

the scene of the action, whichmakes it very easy for theauthorities to follow the heroes'trail. (This is something the DMwill have to enforce scrupulouslyif the Gladiator is to havehindrances offsetting hisbenefits.)

Also, and this is strictly arole-playing consideration,promoters and managers arealways interfering in theGladiator's life: Trying to hirehim to participate in certaindeath events, to fight people theGladiator doesn't want to fight,to force him to participate inevents taking place at the exacttime the Gladiator needs to besomewhere else, etc. Thesepromoters will go to any lengthto get their way; they mayblackmail the character, kidnaphis followers, use the time-honored bait of a gorgeousromantic interest (whom theGladiator doesn't immediatelyrealize is an employee of thepromoter), and so forth.

To make sure this isregarded as a hindrance, the DMshould make it clear that thesepromoters are mostly of thesleazy variety who will cheat,rob and betray him at the drop ofa hat.

Wealth Options: TheGladiator gets the standard5d4x10 gp to spend, and mayspend it any way he chooses(subject to the restrictions listedin "Equipment," immediatelyabove) or have it all unspent atthe beginning of play.

Races: Any demihumanwarrior can be a Gladiator.Operators of the arenas try toacquire as many different,unusual fighters as they can, byhiring or enslaving them, anddemihumans (when they can beacquired) are major attractions.

Myrmidon

Description: TheMyrmidon is the ultimate soldier.Soldiering is his life. He may bea high-ranking officer or a careersergeant; he may belong to onenation's armed forces or may bea mercenary. To the campaignand the adventuring party, hebrings discipline and a usefulunderstanding of military tactics;he's often rigid andcontemptuous of ruggedindividualists or characters whodon't like to take orders, so hecan cause a lot of friction in anadventuring party, too.

When first created, theMyrmidon's player must decidewhether his character is part of astanding army or a mercenaryunit. If he's part of a standingarmy, he's employed as a soldieror officer in the army of a nation,large region, city guard, or evenpalace/castle guard. If he's partof a mercenary unit, he belongsto a group of freelance soldierswho hire themselves to justabout anyone who can pay; ormay be a personal bodyguard.The DM will have the decidingvote in what sort of force theMyrmidon belongs to; if, forinstance, the DM doesn't want tohave an all-military campaign,

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitshe'll probably insist that theMyrmidon be a mercenary,currently employed by a player-character or NPC important tothe current story.

However, in the course ofthe campaign, the Myrmidon'semployment can change, once orseveral times. He may start outas a mercenary bodyguard; laterin the campaign, he may findhimself commanding a smallmercenary force in a border war;later still, he may accept acommission in the king's armyand find himself a regularofficer.

The choice of whetherthe character is of a non-commissioned rank (such asrecruit, private, or sergeant) oran officer's rank (such ascaptain) is entirely up to the DM,who'll make his choice based onwhat works best in hiscampaign's current storyline.

To be a Myrmidon, thecharacter must have scores of atleast 12 in Strength andConstitution.

Role: In the campaign'sculture, the Myrmidon is a careersoldier. In times of war, they'reheroes to the nation. In times ofpeace, the common folk oftenlook on them as parasites, livingoff taxes but providing no usefulservice. Mercenaries are oftenlooked on as bandits andpredators. Regardless of thepublic's opinion, though, theMyrmidon and the standing armyare necessary to the defense ofthe nation, and so there arealways Myrmidons to be found.

Secondary Skills: Ifyou're using the Secondary Skillsrules, the Myrmidon may choosehis Secondary Skill, but mustchoose it from the following list:Armorer, Bowyer/Fletcher,Forester, Groom, Hunter, Leatherworker, Navigator, Sailor,Scribe, Teamster/Freighter,Weaponsmith.

Weapon Proficiencies:The Myrmidon may spend hisWeapon Proficiency slots anyway he chooses.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Ancient History(specifically Military History),Fire-Building. Recommended:(General) Animal Handling,Cooking, Heraldry, Riding(Land-based), Seamanship,Swimming, Weather Sense,(Priest, double slots unlessPaladin) Reading/Writing,(Rogue, double slots) Disguise,(Warrior) Armorer, Blind-Fighting, Bowyer/Fletcher,Charioteering, Endurance,Navigation, Set Snares, Survival,Tracking, Weaponsmithing,(Wizard, double slots unlessRanger) Reading/Writing.

Equipment: TheMyrmidon may spend hisstarting gold on whatever sort ofarms, armor, and equipment hechooses. If, when he's firstcreated, it is agreed that he'll bepart of a specific military forcewith specific equipmentrequirements, he's required tobuy that equipment, but the DMmust give him extra gold in theamount of half that cost.

Special Benefits: TheMyrmidon has two advantages ofnote:

First, he gets a freeWeapon Specialization. He mustchoose it from the followinggroup: Battle axe, Bow(composite long bow, compositeshort bow, or long bow),Crossbow (heavy crossbow orlight crossbow), Lance (choice),Polearm (choice), Spear, Sword(choice).

Second, the Myrmidon isusually in the employ of somepowerful patron. The DM willhave to decide what immediatebenefits this grants him; theyvary with the type of employerhe is working for.

For instance, if he'sworking for a wealthy nobleman,he won't have to spend anymoney for room and board andwill enjoy an upper-classexistence.

Or, if he's part of astanding army, he may beimmune to prosecution by thecivilian authorities (though hecan certainly face court martialfor misdeeds).

Special Hindrances: TheMyrmidon is instantlyrecognizable by his militarydemeanor, erect posture,disciplined mannerisms, etc.(There are plenty of soldiers andmercenaries who aren'tMyrmidons who aren't sodistinctive.) Because he isdistinctive, the Myrmidon iseasily remembered and describedby witnesses to his adventures;this makes it easier for theenemy to identify him and

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsfollow his trail if he's trying toescape or travel throughdangerous territory.

A second hindrance is hisemployer. Naturally, hisemployer makes many demandson the Myrmidon. If theMyrmidon is a bodyguard, hemust accompany his employerjust about everywhere, regardlessof any personal goals or intereststhe Myrmidon has. If theMyrmidon is a common soldier,he's subject to the orders of hisofficers. If the Myrmidon is amilitary officer, he's subject tothe orders of his superiors or thelocal ruler, and bears the addedstress of having to look out forhis men whenever they'reengaged in military action.

Wealth Options: TheMyrmidon receives the standard5d4x10 gp starting gold.

Races: Depending on theway the DM has set thecampaign up, any demihumanrace can have Myrmidons.Mercenary Myrmidondemihumans will be travelingmostly in human-occupied lands,while Myrmidon demihumans instanding armies will usually stickto their own race's territories . . .although some special ones (i.e.,the player-characters) will oftenfind themselves sent out onspecial quests and adventures allover the campaign world.

Noble Warrior

Description: Thischaracter is of the nobility, andtheoretically representseverything the ruling class standsfor. In classic medieval fantasy,this means chivalry, theprotection of women (those whowant to be protected, that is—it'sa bad idea to try to protect awoman warrior anxious to proveherself in combat), and(especially) upholding the rightsof the ruling class to rule (andupholding the rights of the otherclasses to serve . . . ). NobleWarriors in most campaigns arecalled Knights or Squires,though specific campaigns mayhave different designations andbe based on different sourcesthan medieval European history.

To be a Noble Warrior, acharacter must have Strength andConstitution scores of 13 orbetter—it's what comes of beingforced to train in heavy platearmor for so many years.

Role: In a campaign, theNoble Warrior is a romantic idealwhich most of society looks upto. The Noble Warrior issupposed to be courageous,gallant, protective of thedefenseless, dedicated tohonorable ideals.

But that's just whatsociety expects of the NobleWarrior. Some theoreticallyNoble Warriors are mere brutesin shiny armor, warriors whotake what they want, murder theinnocent, and continually betraythe oaths they took when theyfirst won their spurs. So it's up to

an individual player to decidewhat alignment his NobleWarrior takes and how well helives up to the pertinent ideals.

Whether the NobleWarrior character is a Knight ora Squire (or some otherdesignation) depends on thecampaign and its DM. From theviewpoint of convenience, it'sbest for Noble Warrior charactersto begin play as young knightswho have just won their spurs;this will account for the fact thatthey have little money (they'rejust starting out as free-lancers)or followers, and for the fact thatthey're wandering aroundadventuring; they're anxious toprove their mettle. If the DMprefers, the starting NobleWarrior could be the squire foran NPC knight, one who is agingand needs the stout sword-arm ofa young squire; but here, the DMhas to run the NPC knight untilit's time for the squire characterto leave his knight.

Secondary Skills: AllNoble Warrior characters musttake the Groom skill. Squires areexpected to care for their knights'horses, and don't forget this skillwhen they themselves becomeknights.

Weapon Proficiencies:Unless the campaign deals with aculture unlike medieval Europe,all Noble Warriors must take thefollowing proficiencies: longsword or bastard sword (playerchoice), lance (player choice oftype, usually jousting lance), andhorseman's flail or horseman'smace (player choice). The lastproficiency may be used for a

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsweapon of the warrior's choice orto specialize in one of therequired choices.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: (General)Etiquette, Heraldry, Riding(Land-Based). Recommended:(General) Animal Training,Dancing, (Warrior) Blind-Fighting, Gaming, Hunting,Tracking, (Priest, cost doubleslots unless Paladin) LocalHistory, Musical Instrument,Reading/Writing.

Equipment: The NobleWarrior may spend his goldpretty much as he chooses— butthere are certain minimumstandards he cannot violate. Hecannot buy armor less protectivethan brigandine or scale mail.Before starting play, he must buya suit of armor, a shield, at leastone weapon larger than a dagger,a horse (at least a riding horse),riding saddle, bit & bridle,horseshoes and shoeing, halterand saddle blanket.

Special Benefits: TheNoble Warrior starts with moregold than other Warrior Kits; seebelow under Wealth Options.The Noble Warrior receives a +3reaction from anyone of his ownculture. When traveling, he candemand shelter from anyone inhis own nation who is of lowersocial status than he. Mostpeople of his own status orhigher will offer him shelterwhen he is traveling—up to twopersons times the NobleWarrior's experience level. (Thatis, if the Noble Warrior is fifthlevel, the patron will offer shelter

for the Noble Warrior and up tonine of his companions). In hisown land, the Noble Warrior canadminister low justice uponcommoners—act as judge, juryand executioner for minor crimeshe comes across (the definitionof "minor crimes" is necessarilyup to the DM of the campaign,but in general should includethings like assault, petty theft,etc.).

Special Hindrances: Inorder to become a NobleWarrior, the character has swornan oath of loyalty to somegreater noble. If he's squire to aknight, he has an oath to hisknight. If he's a knight himself,he's sworn an oath to his king orsome other noble—or perhaps toboth. He'll be expected to live upto that oath from time to time:Accompany his lord into combat,provide troops to his lord, evenbeggar his own household inorder to support his lord's needs.

Additionally, the NobleWarrior is expected to live well.After he is created, he must add+10% to the base cost of goods,equipment, and services he isbuying—for each experiencelevel he has—to reflect his nobletastes and requirements.

This extra cost is not justa tip. The character is buyinghigher-quality goods. Here's howit works.

Example: Sir Amstardrides into town. He's in need of anew sword, a night's lodging atthe inn for himself and hissquire, and meals and baths forboth. He's a 5th-level NobleWarrior.

He stops by aweaponmaker. The basic cost fora long sword is 15 gp. Amstardmust choose a better weaponthan the "basic long sword," andso chooses a more decorativeone having the exact samecombat characteristics, butcosting 22 gp and 5 sp.

He goes to the inn. Thebasic rate at that specific inn is2 gp per night per person.Amstard won't settle for thebasic room, though, and so pays3 gp per night per person, all forbetter quality rooms. He pays 6gp, one night's stay for himselfand his squire.

The two baths would be 3cp each, or 6 total. Amstard,though, must have soap and abrush and the water heatedespecially for him (and for hissquire, too); total cost is 9 cp.

And so on . . .If the Noble Warrior is

unable to spend this extra moneybecause of lack of funds, he cansettle for lesser goods . . . but hisbonus to Reaction rolls will bereduced, at –1 per such incident,until it reaches +0, to reflect thefact that people are seeing that heis settling for shabbier goods andotherwise not living up to theirexpectations of how a noblewarrior should live. At the DM'sdiscretion, other problems mayfollow this: Nobles fail to offerhim shelter or help because he'ssuch a shabby specimen, he getsa reputation as a penny-pincher,etc.

To retain his bonus, whenthe Noble Warrior is once againin the money he must do

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitswhatever it takes to upgrade hissituation (buy new clothes, go ona buying spree, etc., at the DM'sdiscretion) and his +3 reactionwill return.

If a Noble Warrior gets abad reputation, deservedly orundeservedly, his +3 reactionbecomes a –6 reaction fromeverybody who knows of thereputation.

And just as other noblesare expected to extend shelter tothe Noble Warrior, he is expectedto offer other nobles shelterwhen they are travelling throughhis territory— or when they meeton the road while he is encampedand they are not, etc. Whenever aNoble Warrior character isgetting too cocky, the DM canhave him visited by a nice, largecrowd of nobles to whom he isexpected to offer shelter andfood . . . and who proceed to eathim out of house and home.

Wealth Options: TheNoble Warrior begins play withmore gold than other WarriorKits; he receives 225 gp plus thestandard 5d4x10 gp. But do notforget that he is required tospend a large portion of that onspecific items described above . ..

Races: It's appropriatefor any sort of demihuman raceto have a class of NobleWarriors.

Peasant Hero

Description: The PeasantHero is the "local boy donegood," the home-town warriorwho fights and adventures to the

delight of the people in his homearea. The Peasant Hero is themost common sort of fighterfound wandering the land andadventuring; every village hasone or has had one within livingmemory.

There are no ability-scorerequirements to be a PeasantHero.

Role: In the campaign,the Peasant Hero is the fellowwho won't forget that his rootsare in the country and in the soil.He can be a rebel against thecrown in lands where thepeasants are especiallyoppressed; he can be thefarmboy who becomes a mightygeneral; he can be the noble'schild (secretly raised bypeasants) who grows up to fulfillan ancient prophecy; but in everycase, he remembers his originsand strives to make things betterfor his family and homecommunity.

Secondary Skills: Theplayer may choose hischaracter's secondary skill.

Weapon Proficiencies:The player may choose hischaracter's weapon proficiencies,but may not choose any that theDM feels would be unusual forhis campaign-world's peasants.Short sword, spear, bow,footman's weapons and the likeare all very appropriate;horseman's weapons, exoticpolearms, lances, long swords,tridents and the like are not. Thisis only a restriction when thecharacter is first created;afterwards, of course, he canlearn any weapon he receives

training with.Nonweapon

Proficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Agriculture orFishing (player choice), WeatherSense or Animal Lore (playerchoice). Recommended: Any ofthe General proficiencies.

Equipment: The PeasantHero may spend his starting goldany way he sees fit, but mayhave no more than 3 gp leftwhen he begins play.

Special Benefits: Nomatter what he's done or whatanyone thinks of him, thePeasant Hero always has shelterand often has other help whenhe's in his own community.Unless it is known that thePeasant Hero has hurt peoplefrom his own community, he'llalways find people to put himup, hide him and companionsfrom the law, supply them withfood and drink and what littleweaponry can be scrapedtogether (usually daggers), andeven provide them with helpers—earnest 0-level youths whowant to grow up to be like theirhero.

Special Hindrances:Since the Peasant Hero is lookedupon as a patron and hero by thepeople from his home, they willfrequently come to him for help.Whenever the village is losingpeople to nocturnal predators,whenever a village overlordturns out to be a dangeroustyrant, whenever a local citizenis jailed and tried for somethinghe didn't do, the citizens turn tothe Peasant Hero for help. And ifhe turns them away, he loses

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitstheir respect and earns a –2reaction from all of the peasantsin the land until he is once againin his home community's goodgraces.

Wealth Options: ThePeasant Hero gets the standard5d4x10 gp starting money.

Races: The Peasant Herois a distinctly human sort ofcharacter; it's also appropriate tohalflings, and to half-elves livingamong humans. But no otherdemihumans should havePeasant Hero characters unlessthe DM decides that theircultures are very much like ruralhuman society.

Pirate/Outlaw

Description: Thischaracter is the heroic scofflaw,the warrior who defies the lawsand rulers of the land and steershis own course. Usually in thecompany of other pirates oroutlaws, he fights the minions ofthe rulers he defies, and comes tobe regarded as a hero by otherswho suffer at those rulers' hands.The Pirate, of course, is theadventurer of the high seas, whomakes his living raiding otherships and seacoast communities;the Outlaw makes his home inthe wilderness (often deep forest)and preys on the traffic movingthrough that wilderness.

There are no specialability-score requirements to be aPirate or Outlaw.

Role: In a campaign, thepirate or outlaw can belong toone of two orientations. Eitherhe's a "good guy," and it is the

law and the rulers who are evil,or he is a "bad guy" and simplytakes what he wants from thosewho have it. The player,therefore, gets to decide on hischaracter's alignment and(mis)deeds.

Note, though, that goodguy pirates and outlaws tend tolive by a very strict code ofconduct—for example, theclassic cinema code of RobinHood and his Merry Men, wherethe outlaws robbed from the richand gave to the poor, andprotected the defenseless withmore honor and zeal thanEngland's supposedly NobleWarriors did.

Naturally, if a playerchooses to be a good guy in acompany of bad guys, orviceversa, when his companionsfind out his true colors, they'llprobably try to kill him or to turnhim in to the law for the rewardon his head.

Secondary Skills: If thecharacter is a Pirate, roll d100for his Secondary Skill. On a 01–70, his Secondary Skill is Sailor;on a 71–80, it's Shipwright; on81–00, it's Navigator. If thecharacter is an Outlaw, thecharacter may choose betweenBowyer/Fletcher, Forester,Hunter, and Trapper/Furrier.

Weapon Proficiencies: Ifthe character is a Pirate, he musttake the following proficiencies:Cutlass*, and Belaying Pin* orGaff/Hook* (player choice). Ifthe character is an Outlaw, hecan take any weaponproficiencies he chooses . . . butthe DM, if he's created this

campaign so that the outlawshave a special motif weapon(such as Robin Hood's MerryMen and their longbows) mayinsist that all Outlaw characterstake a specific weaponproficiency. Recommended toclassic Merry Man type outlawsare longbow, long sword andquarterstaff. (The ``*'' symbolindicates a new weapon found inthe Equipment chapter.)

NonweaponProficiencies: Pirate's BonusProficiencies: (General) RopeUse, Seamanship. Pirate'sRecommended Proficiencies:(General) Swimming, WeatherSense, (Warrior) Navigation,(Priest, double slots unlessPaladin) Engineering (forshipbuilding), Reading/Writing(for mapmaking), (Rogue,double slots) Appraising, SetSnares (in association with RopeUse skill), Tightrope Walking,Tumbling, (Wizard, double slotsunless Ranger) Engineering (forshipbuilding), Reading/Writing(for mapmaking). Outlaw'sBonus Proficiencies: DirectionSense, Fire-Building. Outlaw'sRecommended Proficiencies:(General) Riding (Land-Based),(Warrior) Animal Lore,Bowyer/Fletcher, Endurance,Hunting, Running, Set Snares,Survival, Tracking, (Priest,double slots unless Paladin)Healing, Herbalism, LocalHistory, (Rogue, double slots)Disguise. Special Note: Your DMmay be a fan of the veryacrobatic pirate or outlaw moviesof the past, and prefer thatTumbling be one of your Bonus

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsProficiencies instead of one ofthe ones listed; check with himto see if this is so.

Equipment: Pirates andOutlaws come from widelydiverse backgrounds, so there'sno real restriction on what theycan buy with their startingmoney. However, it would befoolish for either type ofcharacter to buy metal armor ofany kind (banded, brigandine,bronze plate, chain, field plate,full plate, plate mail, and ringmail). Pirates wearing sucharmor in naval combat willinevitably fall overboard andsink (they can't swim with suchstuff on); if they're lucky enoughto get it off so they can swim,they've lost the armor. Outlawsliving out in the wild have theirbelongings exposed to theelements, and metal armorquickly corrodes. Therefore, it'sup to the DM to keep things inbalance. If a Pirate or Outlawbuys metal armor and keeps itstowed away for specialoccasions (major landengagements, climactic battles,etc.), that's fine. But if they wearsuch stuff all the time, the DMshould continually take it awayfrom them through accidents,rust and corrosion, etc.

Special Benefits: Piratesand Outlaws do not have anyintrinsic special benefits,although the DM can bestowsome campaign-based benefitson them if he chooses. Forinstance, in many Pirate settings,there is a powerful pirate citywhere the PCs can go to tradetheir ill-gotten gains, a place

where the law dares not enter;this makes it easier for them todispose of their goods and enjoythe benefits of a home city whenotherwise they wouldn't haveone. As another example, in a"Merry Men" type outlawcampaign, the heroes have thedubious benefit of knowing thatthey're on the right side and ifthey can just oust the currentrulers (probably restoring theproper rulers in the process),they'll have their fortunesrestored or enhanced, the landwill once again be bright andshiny, and everyone will livehappily ever after.

Special Hindrances: Themajor problem with being anoutlaw or pirate is that the law isalways after the characters.Though the authorities do nothave to put in an appearance inevery single play-session, they'realways out there, plotting againstthe heroes. Many of them arequite clever, they probably havemore money, ships and men thanthe heroes, and they'll continueto plague the heroes until thecampaign is done.

Wealth Options: Pirateand Outlaw characters get thestandard 5d4x10 gp for startinggold.

Races: Outlaws andPirates, unless your campaign isvery human-oriented, will takejust about anyone they can get,so it's perfectly appropriate forthere to be Outlaws and Piratesof the demihuman races.

Note: In a Piratecampaign, it could be that theplayer-characters will eventually

come to terms with theauthorities and "go straight."This doesn't mean they have toabandon the Pirate Warrior Kit,however. They could insteadbecome Privateers— who arebasically pirates sailing under thepapers of (permission of) theirruler, and preying on the nation'senemies. At that point, they canstill behave just as they didpreviously, and the other nation'sauthorities become their specificenemy.

Samurai

Description: Thesamurai is a warrior fromcultures based on the medievalJapanese civilization. He lives bya very strict code of honor andbehavior, a code demanding:absolute obedience to his lord;readiness to die for honor or forhis lord at any time; eagerness toavenge any dishonor to his lord,his family, or himself;willingness to repay all debtshonorably; and unwillingness todemonstrate the mostdishonorable trait of cowardice.

Samurai must haveminimum scores of 13 inStrength, Wisdom, andConstitution, and of 14 inIntelligence. They may be oflawful alignment only (but stillmay be good, evil, or neutral).

Role: In a campaign,unless the campaign itself is setin an eastern culture, the Samuraiis present to provide a touch ofthe exotic (culture clashes arealways very interesting in acampaign); it also allows for a

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsvariety of warrior who can betremendously deadly.

A samurai can fall fromhis noble position within agreater lord's household. It maybe that the house has perished ina war or other calamity, or thatthe samurai's lord has rejectedhim, or ordered him to commitsuicide and the samurai hasrefused, or that the samurai hasleft his lord for some other pointof honor. Regardless, the samuraiis now masterless; he is calledronin. The ronin has all of theabilities of the samurai, butoperates under slightly differentrules, as you will see below.With your DM's permission, youcan create your character as aronin instead of a samurai. Asamurai can become a ronin atany time in a campaign;likewise, by swearing allegianceto a lord who will have him, aronin can become a samuraiagain.

Before you create asamurai or ronin character, askyour DM if such things exist onhis world and if you may playone. It could be that the DM doesnot wish to allow samurai andronin in his campaign (becausethe campaign world has nooriental setting to act as theirorigin, for instance).

Secondary Skills: Asamurai or ronin must have theScribe secondary skill.

Weapon Proficiencies:The samurai and ronin start playwith two free extra weaponproficiency slots—that's thegood news. The bad news is that,of his six initial weapon

proficiencies, five are chosen forhim. The samurai and ronin mustspecialize in katana* (samuraisword, two proficiency slots) anddaikyu* (samurai great bow,three proficiency slots). Thesamurai or ronin may spend hislast proficiency slot as hechooses—but only from amongthe samurai weapons listed in theEquipment chapter of this book.(The "*" symbol indicates a newweapon to be found in theEquipment chapter.) After thecharacter is in play in anotherculture, he may becomeproficient in weapons of thatother culture.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Etiquette, Riding(Land-Based). Required(samurai/ronin must purchasethese, but gets no extra slots topay for them): (Priest andWizard, costs double slots unlessPaladin or Ranger)Reading/Writing.Recommended: General—Artistic Ability/Calligraphy,Artistic Ability/Painting,(Warrior) Blind-Fighting,Running.

Equipment: The samuraiand ronin must buy all theirstarting equipment from thesamurai weapons, armor andequipment listed in theEquipment chapter. They mayhave no more than 10 gp leftwhen they have purchased theirequipment. Samurai and ronindo not have to buy their katana;that is free to the character.

Special Benefits: Thesamurai and ronin are able to

focus their vital energies toincrease their Strength score—temporarily. Once per day perexperience level, the samurai orronin can increase his Strength to18/00. This lasts for one fullround, and must be preceded bya loud kiai shout (making itimpossible for him to summonthis strength silently orstealthily). For that one round,all his hit probability, damageadjustment, weight allowance,maximum press, open doors, andbend bars/lift gates rolls andfunctions are calculated as if hisStrength were 18/00.

Special Hindrances: Thesamurai and ronin have differentspecial hindrances. The samuraiis (supposed to be) absolutelydevoted to his lord. He isexpected instantly to obey everyone of his lord's orders, up to andincluding killing himself or thosehe loves. If he refuses to obey anorder, he is dishonored and isexpected to kill himself. (If hedoes not, he becomes ronin.) TheDM should make sure that thesamurai is acutely aware of thisby having his lord occasionallyissue orders which are difficultfor him to keep. This doesn'talways have to be "Kill all ofyour allies," but the lord canissue orders which interfere withthe samurai's personal goals andremind him that he is subservientto his lord. The ronin has hisown great difficulty: He earnsexperience points at half thenormal rate. When the DMawards the characters theirexperience, the ronin receivesonly half what he would if he

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitswere still a samurai. Thisparticular hindrance goes awaywhen the character once againswears allegiance to a lord andbecomes a samurai. (Of course,once he's a samurai again, he issubject to the hindrances of thesamurai.)

Wealth Options: Thesamurai and ronin start with thenormal 5d4x10 gp beginningmoney.

Races: The historicalprecedent for the samurai isstrictly human, so it's up to theindividual DM if he wants tohave an oriental-baseddemihuman culture with asamurai warrior class. Such athing is perhaps most visuallyappropriate to elves and half-elves, but a DM could allow it toany demihuman race in hiscampaign.

Note: Players and Dmswishing to have more game-oriented information on thesamurai should read OrientalAdventures, an AD&D® gamesupplement dealing exclusivelywith the topic of easterncampaigns. Your DM may adaptanything he chooses to use fromthat supplement to AD&D® 2ndEdition game rules and statistics.The samurai presented here is asimplified version of the OAsamurai.

Savage

Description: The Savageis a tribesman, technologicallyand culturally far more primitivethan even the Barbarian andBerserker, who is very much in

tune with the natural world.A Savage can be an

honorable jungle vine-swingerraised by animals, a very dirtyand primitive warrior who livesin mud-wattle huts and fightswith bone weapons, abreathtakingly beautiful nativeprincess from a culture which thecharacters consider impossiblyprimitive and yet uncorruptedand very noble . . . and so on. Inshort, the tribal culture fromwhich the Savage charactercomes can be as crude or civil,coarse or noble, nasty oradmirable as the players and DMwant it to be.

To be a Savage, acharacter must have a minimumStrength score of 11 and aminimum Constitution score of15.

Role: In a campaign, thesavage character has a couple ofroles. His particular skills andbenefits are of use to the averageadventuring party. If he comesfrom a particularly noble tribe,he may choose to act as the"voice of conscience" for theadventuring party, asking why, ifthe other characters are supposedto be so much more civilizedthan his own people, their honorand ethics seem to drag so farbehind? But for the most part,he's a role-playing challenge, andshould be chosen only by playerswilling to devote the extra effortto portraying someone from sucha different culture . . . and howthat character reacts with theother PCs' culture. This is anopportunity for a lot of humorand not a little tragedy in a

campaign . . . but only if theplayer is willing to go to thateffort.

Secondary Skills: TheSavage character should haveFisher, Forester, Hunter, orTrapper/Furrier as his SecondarySkill (player choice).

Weapon Proficiencies:The DM should define a set ofweapons which the PC canchoose his beginning weaponproficiencies from. A typical set,for classic "noble savages":blowgun, long bow, short bow,club, dagger, javelin, knife, sling,spear. The character must makehis first-level weaponproficiencies selections fromthese choices. Once he beginsplay and begins adventuring inthe outer world, he may learnany other weapon, of course . . .but it's better role-playing if heprefers to stick to the weapons ofhis tribe.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: (General)Direction Sense, Weather Sense,(Warrior) Endurance, Survival.Recommended: (General)Animal Handling, AnimalTraining, Fire-Building, Fishing,Riding (Land-based), Rope Use,Swimming, (Warrior) AnimalLore, Bowyer/Fletcher, Hunting,Mountaineering, Running, SetSnares, Tracking, (Priest, doubleslots unless Paladin) Healing,Herbalism, Local History,Religion, (Rogue, double slots)Jumping, Tightrope Walking,Tumbling, (Wizard, double slotsunless Ranger) Herbalism,Religion.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsEquipment: The Savage

gets no gold (0 gp) with which topurchase his weapons andequipment. Instead, he may takeup to four of the weapons listedunder "New Savage Weapons" inthe Equipment chapter. He mayassemble an equipment list of upto ten additional items, subject tothe DM's approval, which he willhave accumulated during hisyears with the tribe; they must beitems which members of asavage tribe could have made(things such as pouches,clothing, food, rope, fishing gear,sheathes for weapons, and soforth—no mirrors, lanterns, ironcooking pots, and the like.) Withthe DM's permission, if the tribeis a river-tribe or a riding tribe,he may have either a riding horse(with saddle-blanket, halter, bitand bridle) or a small canoe.

Special Benefits: One ofthe Savage's special benefits isthat he receives more bonusnonweapon proficiencies thanany other type of warrior—testimony to the fact that theSavage must know more skillsjust to stay alive than othercharacters. Another, substantial,benefit the Savage receives isthis: He has a special ability,resembling a spell, which he mayuse once per day per experiencelevel he has (i.e., a 5th-levelsavage could use his ability fivetimes per day).

The special ability mustbe chosen from the list below,must be chosen when thecharacter is first created, andmay never be changed. Thespecial ability is not truly magic,

and Detect magic will not detectit; it is an ability natural to theSavage. It does not requireverbal, somatic, or materialcomponents, even if such arerequired from the normal spell.The list:

(1) Alarm (Wizard 1stLevel). Special effects: This isonly usable by the Savage whenhe is resting or sleeping in aquiet place. The ability does notsound an alarm like the spell; itmerely alerts the Savage tointrusion (if he is already awake)or awakens him (if he is asleep).It is not cast upon a particularplace; it alerts him to activitywithin 10 feet of the place wherehe lies (as if he were at the centerof the 20- foot cube of effect ofthe actual spell).

(2) Detect Magic (Wizard1st Level). Special effects: Thisreflects the fact that the Savageis in tune with nature and canfeel when there is somethingunnatural (i.e., magical) in theair. Unless the Savage is also aRanger, he cannot determine thetype of magic present (i.e.,alteration, conjuration, etc.).

(3) Animal Friendship(Priest 1st Level). Specialeffects: This ability can onlymake friends of an animal whichis not angry or threatened. It canbe used to make an angry orthreatened animal calm. To makefriends with an angry orthreatened animal, therefore, theSavage must be able to use theability twice that day (i.e., hemust be of 2nd level or higher)and must have two uses left. Touse the ability, the Savage must

confront the animal, face to face,at no further away than the limitsof the animal's attack range. Aswith the spell, the Savage mustactually have no ulteriormotives, for such will bedetected by the animal, and theability will fail.

(4) Detect Evil (Priest 1stLevel). Special effects: this islike the Detect Magic ability,above. Like the Priest spell, thisDetect Evil cannot detect evil ina PC—only in a monster, place,or magical item.

The DM can disallow anyof the four abilities given above,or introduce new ones—thoughhe can't add anything thatresembles a magical spell above1st level.

Special Hindrances: TheSavage has some drawbacks, too.He is uncomfortable in civilizedclothes and armor—Whenwearing any sort of clothingmore cumbersome andconcealing than his normal tribaldress, he suffers a –1 to allattack, damage and nonweaponproficiency rolls; he'suncomfortable, and it's affectinghis actions and reactions.

Likewise, he can wearany type of armor, but is souncomfortable in it that he willsuffer a –3 to all attack, damage,and nonweapon proficiency rollswhile wearing any sort of armorat all. If a player blatantlydecides not to role-play hischaracter's dislike of armor andsimply wears armor continually,accepting that negative modifier,the DM should graduallyincrease the modifier: –3 in one

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitsplay–session, –4 in the next, –5in the next, and so on . . . with nolimit. If the player asks why thisis happening, the DM needmerely reply that the character isgrowing more and moreuncomfortable in his unnaturaltrappings and finding it harderand harder to concentrate on thejob at hand.

Wealth Options: TheSavage starts out with no gold.He gets his starting weapons asdescribed above, underEquipment. After the campaignstarts, the character willinevitably come across theconcepts of money; it's up to theplayer how he reacts to them (hecould either like the idea and tryto accumulate the stuff as hisallies do, or put it down tocivilized corruption and stayaway from it).

Races: Most role-playingcampaigns tend to think of thedemihumans as being morecivilized and cultured thanhumans, but it's perfectly allright to have Savage dwarves,elves, gnomes, half-elves, andeven halflings in your campaignif the DM wishes them to bethere.

Note: "But," you say,"what if my character grew up ina Savage tribe and was laterenslaved and trained as aGladiator and then escaped?What is he, a Savage or aGladiator?"

That's up to you toanswer. If he still considershimself a member of his tribeand has not been distanced fromit by his capture and training,

take the Savage Warrior Kit;perhaps your DM will allow youto use some of your proficienciesto learn weapons and skillsappropriate to Gladiators.Likewise, if the character is nowmore urban than savage, buildhim with the Gladiator WarriorKit . . . but have him use some ofhis proficiencies on Savage skillsand weapons.

The same sort of theoryapplies if you're creating anycharacter with a complicatedbackground: A Barbarian youthbrought up in the traditions of aSamurai, an Amazon lass whohas grown up to be a Knight(Noble Warrior), a Pirate boywho gave up the seas and took tobeing a big-city Swashbuckler.Decide which Warrior Kit thecharacter considers himself tobelong to, create him with thatKit, and use some of yourproficiencies to buy weapons-knowledge and skills pertainingto the other Kit.

Swashbuckler

Description: TheSwashbuckler is thesophisticated, witty, lightlyarmed and armored hero in asophisticated city-basedcampaign—a la The ThreeMusketeers. He's fully capable ofputting on heavy armor, pickingup a bastard sword, andsoldiering alongside other tankwarriors—but he shines incomparison when the heroes areadventuring in the city, in lightarmor and with light weapons.

To be a Swashbuckler, acharacter must have anIntelligence and Dexterity of 13or better.

Role: In a campaign, theSwashbuckler is the happy-go-lucky hero with the ready witand the flashing rapier. He'shappiest when he's in the bigcity, but can be an imposingwarrior anywhere—enemiesoften underestimate him becauseof his charming manners anddon't realize that he can plate onarmor and wield heavy weaponsas well as anyone else. TheSwashbuckler, because he'sbright and wellspoken, oftenbecomes party leader . . . or atleast the leader's spokesman.

Secondary Skills: TheSwashbuckler can choose hisown Secondary Skill. Goodchoices include: Navigator (ifhe's in with a band of pirates,especially), Gambler, Jeweler,Scribe, and Weaponsmith.

Weapon Proficiencies:The Swashbuckler receives twoextra weapon proficiency slotswhich must be devoted toweapon proficiency with one ofthe following weapons: stiletto*,main-gauche*, rapier*, andsabre*. (The "*" symbol denotesnew weapons to be found in theEquipment chapter.) Throughouthis career, he must devote half ofhis weapon proficiency slots tothose four weapons. Once he hasachieved proficiency in all fourof those weapons, he may freelychoose where the rest of hisweapon proficiency slots go.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsNonweapon

Proficiencies: BonusProficiencies: (General)Etiquette, (Rogue) Tumbling.Recommended: (General)Artistic Ability, Dancing,Heraldry, Languages (Modern),Riding (Land-Based),Seamanship, (Warrior) Blind-Fighting, Gaming, (Priest,double slots unless Paladin)Musical Instrument,Reading/Writing, (Rogue)Appraising, Disguise, Forgery,Juggling, Musical Instrument,Tightrope Walking, (Wizard,double slots unless Ranger)Reading/Writing.

Equipment: TheSwashbuckler must buy theweapon in which he hasspecialized, but except for thatlimitation may spend his goldprecisely as he pleases.

Special Benefits: TheSwashbuckler has three specialbenefits. First, when using up hisNonweapon Proficiency slots, hedoesn't have to devote double thenormal number of slots whenchoosing Rogue proficiencies.Second, when he's wearing lightor no armor (i.e., no armor,leather armor, or padded armor),he receives a –2 bonus to his AC(that is, an AC of 7 wouldbecome a 5); he's so nimble thathe's very hard to hit. Third, theSwashbuckler is such a romanticfigure that he always receives a+2 adjustment on his reactionroll from NPC members of theopposite sex.

Special Hindrances:Trouble seeks out theSwashbuckler. This is something

that the DM will have to playvery carefully if theSwashbuckler is to be ashindered as all the other WarriorKits. When there's anotherSwashbuckler around, intent onproving that he's the bestswordsman in the world, it's thePC Swashbuckler he settles uponand challenges. When a certainyoung lady is being pursued bythe king's guards, who are intenton stopping her from revealingsecrets in her possession, it is theSwashbuckler she stumblesacross when fleeing. When aprince is too drunk to attend hisown coronation, miraculously helooks just like the Swashbuckler.Life conspires to make thingsdifficult for the Swashbuckler,and the DM should always throwjust a little more good-naturedbad luck at that Warrior Kit thanat any other.

Wealth Options: TheSwashbuckler receives thestandard 5d4x10 gp startingmoney allotment.

Races: Any demihumanwho'd look elegant in foppishdress, wielding a narrow blade,will work fine as aSwashbuckler, especially elves,half-elves and halflings.Dwarves and gnomes are notentirely inappropriate, but arelikely to have to defendthemselves from plenty of jokesat the expense of their curiouslooks.

Wilderness Warrior

Description: This herorepresents some tribe (eithercivilized or barbarian) living in adangerous, threatening, orunusual wilderness environment—such as the desert, deep inswamp territory, in the frozenNorth, tucked away in the jungleor tropical rain forest, or indistant mountains.

The Wilderness Warrioris different from the Barbarian.He's not automatically amenacing figure when travellingaround in the campaign's normalsociety; he's just exotic andunusual. He can be very culturedand civilized, but, coming as hedoes from a different culture,will have different attitudes fromthe other player-characters onmany subjects.

For example, a desertnomad character may be merelyoffended at the theft of hisproperty but be outraged by (anddemand the death penalty for)theft of his water; he may believethat women should stay in campand leave fighting to the men (anopinion he will find himselfquickly disabused from when inthe outer world); he may feel theneed to prostrate himselfwhenever he passes the churchor temple of the deity heworships; and so on.

The player decides (withDM's permission) what sort oftribe and environment theWilderness Warrior comes from.Then, working with the DM, hemust determine what sort ofunusual beliefs and customs the

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitscharacter and his tribe possess.He may later abandon a few ofthese beliefs in the outer world,but should not abandon most ofthem; they are part of whatmakes him unique in thecampaign.

To be a WildernessWarrior, the character must havea Constitution score of at least13.

Role: In a campaign, likethe Barbarian and Savage, theWilderness Warrior is the"outsider's voice" who questionsall the strange quirks anddiscrepancies in the playercharacters' culture. He's also anopportunity for some comic-relief adventures, when hemisinterprets some aspect of thesociety and it leads him intoconfusion and trouble. Moreimportantly, the DM shouldarrange for the occasionaladventure to take place in landslike those of his birth, so that hecan demonstrate his skills in thatenvironment.

Secondary Skills: Ifyou're using the Secondary Skillsrules, the Wilderness Warriormay choose his skill from thefollowing list: Fisher, Forester,Hunter, Sailor, Trapper/Furrier.

Weapon Proficiencies:The Wilderness Warrior mayspend his Weapon Proficienciesany way he pleases. The DMmay insist that he spend one ortwo on weapons appropriate tohis culture: A desert nomadshould have Scimitar and ShortComposite Bow, while an arcticwarrior should have Harpoonand Spear, for instance.

NonweaponProficiencies: BonusProficiencies: Survival (in hisnative environment), Endurance.Recommended: Any relating tothe land of his birth, such asAnimal Handling, AnimalTraining, Dancing (his culturaldances), Fire-building, Fishing,Riding (Land-based),Swimming, (Warrior)Mountaineering, Tracking.

Equipment: TheWilderness Warrior may onlyspend his starting gold on itemsappropriate to his culture. Forexample, the desert nomadcouldn't buy any armor at allwith his starting gold, while thearctic warrior could only haveleather or hide armor. (Of course,if the DM determines that his is atrading culture, he could haveaccess to goods from all over theworld.) The Wilderness Warriordoesn't have to spend all hisstarting gold before enteringplay. Once he begins play, thereare no restrictions on what sortsof equipment he may buy.

Special Benefits: TheWilderness Warrior gets a specialbonus of +5 to his Survivalproficiency roll. This onlyapplies to the Survivalproficiency pertaining toenvironments like that of hisorigin; if he later takes a secondSurvival proficiency for anothertype of territory, the bonusdoesn't count toward it.

Special Hindrances: TheWilderness Warrior, in his earlyyears, is occasionally hinderedby his unfamiliarity with theplayer-characters' society, but

this is a roleplayingconsideration; the DM mustoccasionally enforce it until hebelieves the character issufficiently familiar with theusual culture.

Wealth Options: TheWilderness Warrior gets theusual 5d4 x 10 gp in startinggold.

Races: This is a veryappropriate Warrior Kit fordemihuman warriors, and theDM may wish to create someunusual demihuman tribes toshowcase it. For example,everyone would expect DwarvenWilderness Warriors from themountains, Elf and GnomeWilderness Warriors from thetropical rain forest, etc. But whatabout Desert Dwarves? ArcticElves? Swamp Gnomes?Mountain Halflings? Suchunusual choices can add somecolor to a campaign.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsRecording Kits on theCharacter Sheet

The character recordsheet presented in the CharacterCreation chapter has blanks forall of the benefits, hindrances,and other notes generated when acharacter takes a Warrior kit.

Warrior Kits and Multi-Class Characters

These Warrior Kits aredesigned to add depth to awarrior-class character. But if thecharacter is already multi-class(for example, an elf fighter-mage), he doesn't need any moredepth. Therefore, only single-class warriors can take one of theWarrior Kits described above.

However, with your DM'spermission, there's no reasonwhy a multi-class warrior can'tuse his weapon and nonweaponproficiency choices to simulateone of the Kits . . . and, againwith DM permission, thecharacters possessing thatWarrior Kit can consider him"one of their own" within thecontext of the campaign.

For example, let us saythat your campaign features anelvish Amazon tribe and youwant to play an elf fighter/thiefwho belongs to that Amazontribe.

Build her this way: Haveher take Spear and Long BowWeapon Proficiencies. For herNonweapon Proficiencies, haveher take Riding (Land-Based)and Animal Training (she doesn't

get either of these for free, likethe "real" Amazon, but she canstill choose them). For herEquipment, limit her to theequipment choices of theAmazon.

If you do all this, andhave your DM's permission,within the context of thecampaign, your character will beconsidered an Amazon. That is,she comes from the Amazontribe and the other Amazonsconsider her to be a shield-sisterand one of their own. You know,and the DM knows, that shedoesn't have all the specialbenefits of the Amazon WarriorKit. And the DM is within hisrights to assign the character thespecial hindrances of theAmazon—after all, you'vechosen for her to be identifiedwith a race of people with thosehindrances. But to all outwardeyes, she is indistinguishablefrom any other elvish Amazon.

Warrior Kits and Dual-Class Characters

The same is not true ofdual-class characters.

If a character starts off asa warrior, he may take any of theWarrior Kits above. If, later, hedecides to change classesaccording to the normal Dual-Class Benefits and Restrictionsrules, he doesn't lose any of thebenefits or hindrances of the Kithe chose; he is still that sort offighter. If that second characterclass also has a range of Kitsavailable to it, he may notchoose a new, additional Kit.

If a character starts off assome other character class, doesnot take on a Kit appropriate tothat class, and then later switchesto one of the warrior classes, hecan choose a Warrior Kit at thattime . . . though the DM mayinsist that certain campaignevents be accomplished in orderto allow him to do this.

For instance, let's say thata human mage decides, later inlife, to become a Fighter, and hewants to be a Gladiator. Well,there's nothing wrong with that.But the DM should insist that thenext several adventures deal withthat transformation. Thecharacter must be hired by (or,alternatively, captured andenslaved by) an arena orfighting-stable owner, trained,and pitted against otherGladiators. The other charactersin the campaign could also beentering the gladiatorial arena, orthe DM could contrive things sothat the current adventureinvolves gladiatorial elementsand still get all the PCs involved.

To better simulate thewait involved for the character tolearn his new trade, the DM iswithin his rights to insist that thecharacter not receive his WarriorKit until he's reached secondexperience level in his new class.

Chapter 2: Warrior KitsAbandoning A Kit

Sometimes it happensthat a character is created with aWarrior Kit and circumstanceslater force him to reconsider hischaracter's role. For example, aNoble Warrior could becomedisgusted with the corruption andexcesses of his class and decideto renounce his ties to thenobility. Or, a Savage couldbecome increasingly comfortablewith the civilized world andincreasingly uncomfortable withhis savage kin. In such a case,the player should think aboutabandoning the Warrior Kit.

To abandon the kit, theplayer should privately tell theDM his intentions. If the DM hasno objections to theabandonment, then it will takeplace. Unless the choice forabandonment were brought onby a sudden, traumatic event, theDM may have to have some timeto work the abandonment intothe storyline. Often, in the story,the character doing theabandoning will have to role-play out the situation: Publiclyrenounce his ties with the othersof his Warrior Kit, and thensuffer any consequences thatmight arise. (In Greekmythology, for instance, theAmazon queen Antiopeabandoned her former life to staywith King Theseus of Athens . . .and she later died fighting herformer countrywomen when theycame after her.)

Once the characterabandons his kit, he alsoabandons all the special benefits

and hindrances it provides.Often, those benefits includedfree Nonweapon Proficiencies orWeapon Proficiencies. Thecharacter doesn't lose those, buthe must pay for them from thenext free slots he has available tohim.

The character may nottake another Warrior Kit toreplace the one he's abandoned.Once he gives up his WarriorKit, he's an ordinary Fighter,Paladin, or Ranger for the rest ofhis playing life.

Modifying The Kits

The DM can, and should,modify the Kits presented aboveto represent his own campaignsetting more accurately.

For example, if there areno Amazons in his world, heshould disallow the Amazon Kit.If Gladiators are all chosen fromthe ranks of savages despised inthe civilized land, he shouldmodify the Gladiator hindrancesto reflect the fact that they haveno respect in the campaignsetting.

Creating New Kits

Similarly, if there's aspecial sort of warrior that theDM would like to have in hisworld, he can design a newWarrior Kit for that warrior.

To design a Warrior Kit,you must answer the followingquestions about the warrior andhis role in your campaign.

Description: What is thiswarrior? What literary,

mythological, or historicalsource is he drawn from? Whatspecial requirements are there ifa character wishes to be one?

Role: What is thiswarrior to be in the campaign?How does his culture look athim? How do other cultures lookat him? Is there a special sort ofoutlook he needs to have tobelong to this Warrior Kit? Andwhat does this warrior tend to doin a campaign—lead mightynations? brutalize and betray hisallies? upset the delicate balanceof political strategies? have agood time without makingwaves?

Secondary Skills: Ifyou're using the Secondary Skillsrules, you need to determine ifthis Warrior Kit requires such askill. If no one secondary skillshould be common to allwarriors of this type, then don'trequire a secondary skill. But, ifall members of a Warrior Kitseem to have this skill, then youshould require it of all who takethis Kit.

Weapon Proficiencies:Many Warrior Kits seem togravitate toward specific weapontypes. Knights lean to swordsand lances; Merry Men of theforest prefer the longbow. If thewarrior you're simulating seemsto prefer one or two weaponsabove all others, then, in this Kit,you require them to take theproficiencies for those weapons.

NonweaponProficiencies: Most WarriorKits, again, seem to have certainskills in common. It would besilly to have a Noble Warrior

Chapter 2: Warrior Kitswithout Etiquette, for instance.So you may assign up to twoproficiency slots to be given freeto the character. If it'sappropriate, the proficienciesmay come from listings notappropriate to warriors—thePriest, Rogue, and Wizardlistings. (Though normally thecost in slots for suchproficiencies doubles, since theyare here being given free to thecharacter, that doesn't matter.)

Equipment: If a WarriorKit is best-known for havingspecific types of equipment,require that the warrior havesuch equipment when thecampaign begins. If manyexamples, but not anoverwhelming majority, of thissort of Warrior seem to prefer aspecific type of equipment,simply list it among the types ofequipment the Warrior Kitrecommends.

Special Benefits: EveryWarrior Kit should have somespecial benefit. It's up to you tochoose what that benefit is, but itshould fit in with the way thiswarrior appears to function infiction, myth lore or wherever hecomes from. Types of benefitsinclude:

Bonuses to reaction rolls,especially from certaincategories of people;

Bonuses to attack rollsand/or damage, especiallyagainst certain categories ofenemies, or in specialcircumstances;

A free weaponspecialization;

Resistance (immunity or

a bonus to saving throws) againstspecific types of magic;

Special rights in theculture in which the charactersnormally travel (for example,immunity from prosecution forcertain alleged crimes, or theright to demand shelter); and soon.

Special Hindrances: Youshould also provide a specialhindrance (or hindrances) whichlimit the character as much as hisbenefits help him.

Such hindrances caninclude:

Minuses to reaction rolls,especially from certain types ofpeople;

Minuses to attack rollsand/or damage, especiallyagainst certain categories ofenemies;

Inability to learn specificweapon or nonweaponproficiencies;

Vulnerability to specificsorts of magic (either a minus tosaving throws, or the magic isautomatically successful); and

Special restrictions in theculture in which the characterstravel (for example, not beingable to own property or getmarried, or excessivepunishments for specific crimes).

Wealth Options: If theWarrior Kit has any restrictionsor benefits in the awarding of hisstarting gold, or in the ways hecan spend it, note them here.

Races: If there arevariations to the Kit based on thecharacter's race, note them here.Some races can't take a specificKit; some will have different

proficiencies, benefits andhindrances attached to them.

Notes: If you have anyadditional notes about theWarrior Kit pertinent to yourcampaign (such as which playersyou'd prefer for specific Kits, forexample), put them here.

Additionally, you couldcreate Kits for other classes thanWarrior, or adapt the existingKits to the other throughtinkering with the skills,proficiencies, benefits, andhindrances. There could easilybe Rouge Swashbucklers orBarbarian Priests, for example.

The Warrior Kit CreationSheet

On page 124 is theWarrior Kit Design Sheet. If youwish to design a new WarriorKit, just photocopy the sheet anddesign your new Kit upon it.When you're showing theWarrior Kits above to yourplayers, also include the newWarrior Kits you've designed.

Chapter 3: Role-PlayingThe AD&D® game isn't

all combat and magic, and so awarrior doesn't have to be just acollection of numbers whichresponds to situations by killingeverything in sight and collectingcoins. No, there's much more torole-playing than that, and thischapter is devoted to role-playing the warrior character.

Warrior Personalities

There's a misconceptionthat warriors are just square,solid guys who do the physicalwork in a fight; that rogues arethe clever ones who do all theconniving and tricking; thatwizards are awesome,impersonal intelligencededicated solely to their magicalstudies; that priests are onlyinterested in the advancement ofone's spiritual learning.

While that's asimplification convenient forfirst-time players of the game,more experienced players maydesire to add depth to theircharacters by providing moredetail to their characters'personalities: Deciding how theyreact in certain situations, howthey relate to other characters,and so forth.

Experienced role-players,those who already do this, shouldskip down to the headlinereading "The WarriorCampaign." Beginning role-players should continue fromhere.

In the first part of thischapter, we'll be talking aboutWarrior Personalities, describing

a few types of heroes common tofiction and mythology. Readeach description, think aboutwhether the description comesclose to matching yourconception about yourcharacter's personality, and if itdoes, try to utilize thatdescription's advice when role-playing and making decisions foryour character.

Each personality in thischapter will be described in thefollowing way:

Character Description:These paragraphs talk about thecharacter's attitudes andmotivations, and how thecharacter tends to act andinteract in a normal campaign.

Best Suited For: Theseparagraphs talk about thealignments for which thispersonality type is best suited,and about the Warrior Kits (fromthe last chapter) for which thepersonality is best suited. It'spossible to come up with a goodrationale for why a character of aspecific personality type shouldhave an alignment that doesn't(at first glance) seem appropriatefor that personality type, so thereis absolutely no firm alignmentrestriction when you're choosingpersonalities. However, therecommendations made forappropriate choices are goodenough for most characters, sokeep them in mind.

In Combat Situations:These paragraphs talk about howthe character reacts in combatsituations. Not all warriorsunstrap their swords and wade inswinging; some approach battle

situations more slowly, morecleverly, or more aggressively.

In Role-PlayingSituations: These paragraphstalk about the character's generalreactions to NPCs in role-playingsituations; you can use them asgeneral guidelines for yourcharacter's role-playingconversations and other suchencounters.

The Brash Youth

Character Description:This character has just recentlybecome an adventurer, and hedoesn't have much experience orcommon sense . . . meaning thathe gets in trouble, and leads hiscompanions into trouble, quiteoften. Therefore, you shouldonly choose a Brash Youthpersonality when you're willingto role-play this attitude. TheBrash Youth is easy prey for fast-talkers and con men, suggestsstraightforward and foolish planssure to get the party captured orkilled, admires more experiencedwarriors without questioningtheir motives, and can be quite amenace to himself unless takenin hand by a more experiencedadventurer.

Inevitably, a Brash Youthcharacter has to "wise up"—tolose some of his preconceptionsand naivete. If this doesn'thappen naturally in the course ofa campaign, the DM shoulddesign an adventure around theBrash Youth, an adventure wherehe's confronted with theconsequences of his brashness.For instance, a confidence man

Chapter 3: Role-Playingcould trick the Youth intoaccidentally betraying his allies;or, a Youth's plan could gohorribly awry and seriously orcritically endanger his friends;or, a hero particularly admiredby the Youth could turn out to befar less admirable than the Youthhas always thought.

When this happens, thecharacter must stop being aBrash Youth and choose someother personality type. By now,he should have been playinglong enough that the player willknow what sort of personalitythat is; alternatively, the eventsthat shock him out of being aBrash Youth could affect himseriously enough that this eventchooses his new personality forhim (this results in suchpersonalities as a disillusionedCrude Crusher or a hostileDangerous Antagonist).

Best Suited For: Interms of alignment, the BrashYouth is best suited to the fullrange of Good and Neutralalignments (L/G, L/N, N/G, N,C/G C/N). Evil characters aren'tsuited to being naive andtrusting. In terms of WarriorKits, the Brash Youth isadmirably suited to all of them!The only kit that might give youa problem is that of the Samurai,but it's possible to play aninexperienced and eager Samuraistruggling to keep his enthusiasmfrom showing beneath the veneerof eastern detachment; this is anespecially good choice in an all-samurai campaign, where onecharacter is the brash youngwarrior interacting with more

experienced and settled samurai.In Combat Situations:

The Brash Youth is likely just tocharge up to a foe and beginpounding away, unless that foe isso big and scary that even themost foolish youth will be afraidof it. He's very likely to takecombat orders from his friends,however, so it's easy for onewiser warrior to keep him fromkilling himself through badtactics. It's often a good idea forthe party to make the BrashYouth one of their designatedarchers, because it usually keepshim out of direct hand-to-handcombat until he has wised up.

The Brash Youth canlearn from his experiences, on acase-by-case basis. After he'sbeen hammered by a troll, he canbe more cautious with the nexttroll or troll-like monster heencounters. But he'll be just asbrash with a monster unlike theothers he's encountered . . .

In Role-PlayingSituations: The Brash Youthgets along with everybody untilsuch time as the other personinsults one of his friends,challenges one of hispreconceptions, or betrays him.Even then, he'll simply befurious and willing to fight oroppose the other fellow; to betruly vengeful requires that theYouth go through his personalitychange and take on a newpersonality.

The Brash Youth shouldbe played as either hesitant andnervous in new situations, oreager to throw himself into suchsituations—he's never bored or

indifferent. Other characters findhis youthfulness charming, butmay also find him exasperatingbecause he's always getting intotrouble.

The Crude Crusher

Character Description:The Crude Crusher is a rude,boisterous, belching, physicalsort of character. He may be veryclever, but he prefers force totrickery or persuasion—it feelsgood to pound people. Hedoesn't like proper manners,court etiquette, literature andpoetry, or haughtiness. He hasvery coarse and commoncustoms . . . although he could beof high birth (nothing says ahigh-born warrior must be clean,virtuous, and polite, after all).Put him in a tavern with a crowdof noisy table-banging drinkers,where the drinks pour freely andthe occasional brawl grindsfurniture into sawdust, and he'shappy.

Best Suited For: Interms of alignment, the CrudeCrusher can belong to any ofthem. If he's Lawful, he's stilloperates by a code of behaviorthat others can observe and countupon (even if he is a socialmisfit); and if he's Good, he's notgoing to take the things he wants(by force) from those who ownthem. For these reasons, aLawful/Good Crude Crusher isn'tlikely to have a lot of fun. Interms of Warrior Kits, the CrudeCrusher is well-suited to theBarbarian, Beast-Rider,Berserker, Gladiator, Peasant

Chapter 3: Role-PlayingHero, Pirate/Outlaw, Savage, andWilderness Warrior. A CrudeCrusher Noble Warrior willalways suffer the reactionpenalties given to NobleWarriors who don't liveaccording to their social stations(see the description of the NobleWarrior from the last chapter formore on this). Amazons areusually too uptight in malesocieties to be as comfortablycoarse as the Crude Crusher is.The Samurai and Swashbucklertend to be too cultured for thispersonality type. The Cavaliercan't take the Crude Crusherpersonality.

In Combat Situations:The Crude Crusher is a brawler.He prefers one-on-one combatsand fights dirty, doing whateverit takes to win a fight. He fightsexactly as he chooses, and mayor may not follow the team plan.In combat, he's single-mindedand effective.

In Role-PlayingSituations: The Crude Crushercan be a lot of fun to play,because he says whatever hewants whenever he wants. Hiscrude remarks scandalize morerefined characters. He's likely toantagonize his ``betters'' inconversation, either accidentallyor (more probably) deliberately,and this can spoil partynegotiations and muck up theparty's plans. However, none ofthis means that the CrudeCrusher can't be loyal,courageous, competent andpowerful, so adventuring partiesaren't likely to kick him outbecause of his mouth; but they're

usually exasperated by hisattitudes.

The Dangerous Antagonist

Character Description:This character is a hero with anattitude problem. He's grim andhumorless, and never fights justto give someone a drubbing—hefights to kill. He's driven bysome powerful, unsympatheticmotivation: A desire for revenge,overwhelming desire for apossession, or even a near-psychotic desire just to be leftalone. He must be carefullyplayed so that there actually is areason for him to accompany theother player-characters, and theDM may need to remind hisplayer occasionally that he canhave friends and loyalties, evenif he prefers to conceal that factbehind hard-bitten mannerismsand an evil temper. Naturally,this personality type has few orno romantic inclinations orrelationships.

Best Suited For: Interms of alignment, theDangerous Antagonist isappropriate for all of them.Different alignments result indifferent motivations: ALawful/Good DangerousAntagonist has been embitteredby events in his life, while aChaotic/Evil character is asociopath. In terms of WarriorKits, most are appropriate; theusual exceptions are the Cavalierand Swashbuckler, who tend tobe better-tempered characters.

In Combat Situations:The Dangerous Antagonist fights

in a smart and deadly fashion(unless he's a Berserker). Heprefers a "Take no prisoners!"attitude, but can allow himself tobe overruled by his friends,especially if they can persuadehim that there's a practical reasonfor it (just being merciful andhumane isn't good enough). Hecan be a good combat tacticianfor the team, directing his alliesto fight in the most deadly andefficient manner possible; or, hecould be a wade-right-in fighterwho vents his hatred on hisenemies.

In Role-PlayingSituations: This charactergenerally doesn't do role-playingnegotiations with NPCs, unlessthe PCs are attempting tointimidate or frighten the NPCs.The Dangerous Antagonist mustbe played carefully; manyDangerous Antagonist charactersare merely kill-crazy fighterswith overinflated opinions ofthemselves, and so it's very easywhen playing such a character toaggravate the other players withhis pretentiousness. In otherwords: Be menacing, butconcentrate that menace more onNPCs than your PC allies.

The Doomed Champion

Character Description:This hero has been afflicted witha curse or a prophecy that hauntshim throughout his life. He mayhave lost his One True Love andbeen fated never to find her. Hemay be doomed to bringmisfortune on anyone he caresabout. He might be prophesied to

Chapter 3: Role-Playingdie whenever certain campaign-related goals are achieved. Hemight be the last survivor of hisrace, doomed to die withoutissue, so that the race dies withhim. When he's not fighting forhis goals, this character issuffering. For this reason, youshouldn't play such a characterunless you enjoy portraying thatsuffering. If you choose such acharacter type, you must consultwith your DM to determine justwhat sort of curse afflicts thecharacter—it's absolutelypointless to play a DoomedChampion unless there actuallyis a doom or curse at work.

Best Suited For: Anyalignment is appropriate for theDoomed Champion. In terms ofWarrior Kits, most areappropriate, except for theessentially cheery Swashbuckler.

In Combat Situations:The Doomed Champion tends tofight in an all-out, desperate-strength manner. He throwshimself fully into a fight andseeks out the most dangerousopponents. Either he's simplydesperate to achieve his ends andelude his curse, or he'sunconsciously seeking his owndeath. He's therefore not good asa team tactician. On the otherhand, his bravery is inspirationalto other heroes and followers, sohe's often made the leader of warparties. He can be merciful incombat, or kill all who face him(all the while regretting the grimnecessity of it).

In Role-PlayingSituations: The DoomedChampion tends to besympathetic to others' needs andpains . . . but is himself verydepressive, because he knowsthat some grim fate awaits him.This means he's often easy topersuade to aid in others' quests(not quests for money: quests formore personal goals).

The Fated Philosopher

Character Description:This character is both similar toand very different from theDoomed Champion. Like theChampion, he knows that aparticular grim fate awaits him:Death. But he's veryphilosophical about it and doesnot torture himself about it. He'slikely to be an old campaignerwith very few illusions left, butwith a keen appreciation of alllife has to offer.

Best Suited For: Interms of alignment, Lawful andNeutral characters are mostsuited to be Fated Philosophers;Chaotic characters are seldomthat introspective. ThePhilosopher is equally suited toGood, Neutral, and Evilcharacters. In terms of WarriorKits, the Philosopher is mostadmirably suited to the Samurai.He's appropriate to most of theother kits as well, except theBerserker, which isn't a veryintrospective sort of hero.

In Combat Situations:Different Fated Philosophersface combat in differentfashions. Some are as thoughtful

in combat as elsewhere, and takea very analytical approach tocombat: Striking where the needis greatest, evaluating theenemy's strategy, and so forth.Others, knowing that they cannotforestall their fate, jump into thethick of things and fight withunrestrained battle-fury (and,perhaps, joy). The player is leftto decide how his FatedPhilosopher character fights.Basically, he should simplychoose the method of combat heprefers for this character, andthen rationalize it according tothe character's philosophy of life.

In Role-PlayingSituations: The FatedPhilosopher is often a sort offatherly adviser character. Hethinks about everything, he's fullof sage advice. Though he maybe driven by goals as strong asany other character's, in personhe is seldom very intense.

The Merry ShowoffCharacter Description:

This character lives for style orentertainment. He may be aclown who delights inentertaining people and shootingbarbs into the egos of the self-important. He may be an elegantfighter who loves to show theworld what fighting is like in thehands of a master. He maysimply love attracting the eyes ofladies. Whichever, he's always inmotion; he never merely gestureswhen he can instead make aflourish, never walks when hecan stride, never talks when hecan orate.

Best Suited For: Chaotic

Chapter 3: Role-Playing characters are a little bettersuited to be Merry Showoffs, asthey're more spontaneous thanthe reasoned Lawful or cautiousNeutral characters. However,there's no restriction on this.Good, Neutral, and Evilcharacters can all be MerryShowoffs: The elegant, dramatic,self-centered, villainouslieutenant is a classic example ofan Evil Merry Showoff. In termsof Warrior Kits, theSwashbuckler, Gladiator, andPirate/Outlaw are best suited tothis personality; the Amazon,Barbarian, Berserker, andSamurai are least suited; theother kits are appropriate.

In Combat Situations:The Merry Showoff must fight inthe most dramatic fashionpossible, even when it isn't asefficient or safe as another tactic.He leaps, he bounds, he shouts,he gestures, he taunts theenemies, he makes challengesfor single combat . . . he can be aright nuisance, for allies as wellas enemies, and so the playershould be careful not toaggravate his friends too muchwith his antics.

In Role-PlayingSituations: Likewise, thischaracter should be as charmingand theatrical as possible in role-playing situations. He doesn'tnecessarily have to be witty; thatmight put too much of a strain ona player who isn't able towisecrack with ease. But heshould be debonair and graciousat all times, even when talking tothe leader of his enemies or therudest and coarsest boor.

The Natural Leader

Character Description:This character is the all-aroundman in charge. He's theresponsible hero who, even if heisn't party leader, thinks like one:He's always thinking about theteam's goals and how toimplement them, the safety of hisfriends, the strategy of the badguys, and so forth. He may behappy to be the leader-type, ormay be a reluctant leader; eitherway, his friends look to him fordirection. Naturally, you shouldonly choose this personality typefor your character if you're tomake the effort to do all thatthinking and planning, and arewilling for your character to beresponsible for others.

Best Suited For: Interms of alignment, Lawful andNeutral characters are mostappropriate; Chaotic characterstend to be more spontaneousthan the Natural Leader.However, if you have a goodrationale for a Chaotic NaturalLeader, your DM may choose toallow you to play it that way.Most Warrior Kits areappropriate to this personalitytype, especially the Cavalier andNoble Warrior. In a partyrepresenting several differentWarrior Kits, though, theBerserker and Savage shouldn'tbe Natural Leaders: Othercharacter types don't tend to trustthem as leaders.

In Combat Situations:The Natural Leader, whether hewants to or not, is alwaysthinking in combat and trying to

direct his allies' activities. Hemakes sure that there's a goodmix of ranged to melee combat,that shield walls don't have bigholes in them, that when a friendfalls there's someone to drag himbehind the lines and another totake his place. If a player with aNatural Leader character doesn'tdo this, and simply jumps rightinto combat without any intent tothink about or direct things, theDM should assign himtemporary minuses to attack rollsand damage: This reflects thefact that the character is troubledby his failure to lead, even if theplayer isn't.

In Role-PlayingSituations: The Natural Leaderis a very responsible character,but beyond that, there is nolimitation on the way he shouldbe played in role-playingsituations. He may be grim orhumorous, straightforward ordeceitful, arrogant or modest, asthe player decides. He will oftenbe the negotiator for the party,but this isn't required of him.

The Sneaky Thinker

Character Description:This character lives and loves tooutwit other characters. He lovestricking money out of people,outwitting opponents in combat,persuading people to help himagainst their better sensibilities,and so forth. It's best for acampaign when the SneakyThinker is a good friend of therest of the PCs and so mostlyturns his talents on NPCs; theDM needs to make sure that the

Chapter 3: Role-Playingcampaign doesn't turn into anendless succession of incidentsof the Sneaky Thinker trickingmembers of his own party.

Best Suited For: Interms of alignment, Neutral andChaotic characters are best suitedto be Sneaky Thinkers, asLawful characters often havemore respect for the rights ofothers; but, again, with a goodenough rationale provided, theDM may allow himself to beconvinced that a Lawfulcharacter should be a SneakyThinker. Most Warrior Kits areequally suited to the SneakyThinker character; the Berserker,however, is an inappropriatechoice and should not be taken.

In Combat Situations:The Sneaky Thinker hates toengage enemies in melee. Hedoesn't mind being a rangedfighter, but he'd really prefer tobe doing something clever orspectacular: Sneaking around thefight to come up on the enemy'sunguarded rear, loosening rockson the hillside above to dropdown on the enemy, persuadingone of the enemy's allies to turnon the enemy, anything that willdemonstrate his mentalsuperiority over the enemy (andmaybe over his allies as well).It's up to the player whether thecharacter is actually cowardly ornot: Sneaky Thinkers can be asbrave as the bravest warrior in apinch, if that's the player'sconception of the character.

In Role-PlayingSituations: The Sneaky Thinkeris often the party's negotiator, ashe loves talking with other

characters and getting the bestpossible deal for himself and hisfriends. In most role-playingsituations, the Sneaky Thinkerwill, chameleon like, adapthimself to the personality of theperson he's talking to, concealinghis true thoughts and emotionsbehind the mask he thinks ismost appealing to the othercharacter. It's very hard to findout what the Sneaky Thinker isactually thinking or feeling. Notethat it's a dangerous temptationto trick your friends and allies; ina campaign where the PCs' partyis founded on trust andallegiance, such a SneakyThinker will probably findhimself cast out or killed forbetraying his erstwhile friends.

Changing Personality Types

The above advice is forplayers who don't yet have a firmhandle on role-playing differentpersonalities from their own.And the personalities presentedhere aren't firm, formal ruleswhich any character has tofollow; they're guidelines withno real restrictions placed uponthem.

Naturally, then, it's veryappropriate for you to write upmore Personality Typesappropriate to your campaign . . .if, indeed, you need to formalizethem to that extent.

It's also very appropriatefor a character to change hisPersonality Type in the course ofa campaign. Here are some waysit can happen:

The Brash Youth wises

up and loses his naivete andinexperience. This has to happeneventually (unless he gets killedbefore he ever gets wise). Hisexperiences in the campaign sofar will probably have a stronginfluence on the next type ofpersonality he chooses. Here's anote for the other personalities:Nothing short of amnesia everchanges a character to the BrashYouth personality.

The Crude Crusher isn'tlikely to change, but a couple ofthings could bring about such achange. He could fall in lovewith a more refined partner, and,feeling gross and coarse incomparison, train himself tobecome more sophisticated. (TheMerry Showoff and FatedPhilosopher become goodoptions at this point.) He couldhave heavy responsibility laidupon him (such as a militaryofficer's commission) and bechanged by it (at which point theNatural Leader is a good choice).

The DangerousAntagonist is only likely tochange when whatever made hima Dangerous Antagonistoriginally is resolved. Forinstance, if he ever avengeshimself on whomever hurt himin the first place, he couldchange to a Fated Philosopher orNatural Leader.

The Doomed Championisn't likely ever to change. He'sdoomed, after all. But if, in thecourse of the campaign, the DMallows him to un-doom or un-curse himself, he could suffer achange of personality. He couldbecome a Fated Philosopher or

Chapter 3: Role-PlayingNatural Leader. He might enjoylife so much that he becomes aMerry Showoff or SneakyThinker. He's not likely tobecome a Dangerous Antagonistunless the events which freedhim from his curse were so nastythat they still scarred hispersonality forever.

The Fated Philosopherisn't likely to change. Thispersonality type comes at theend of a process of personalitydevelopment, not in the middle.

The Merry Showoffcould sober up under the weightof responsibility, like the CrudeCrusher, and become a NaturalLeader. Or he could naturallyevolve into a Sneaky Thinkerwhen it became less and lessfulfilling merely to entertainpeople and more fun tomanipulate them.

The Natural Leadercould easily change if dramaticevents made him sick anddisgusted with always being soresponsible and dependable. Atthat point, any personality exceptDoomed Champion isappropriate. However, unlesshe's become totally amoral, evenin his new personality he'llprobably still have leadershipimpulses and do a lot of tacticalthinking.

The Sneaky Thinkerisn't ever likely to change: Hisway of life is too much fun tohim. If he were to change, tobecome a little less secretive,he'd probably become a MerryShowoff.

For any character, somehorrible event (such as the brutalmurder of a loved one) couldchange the character, at leasttemporarily, to a DangerousAntagonist or Crude Crusher.

The Warrior Campaign

So far, we've mostlytalked about the warriorcharacter and his role in normalAD&D® game campaigns.

However, it's possible torun a good campaign whosecharacters are mostlywarriors . . . or all warriors.

There are a couple ofreasons to think about having anall-warrior campaign. First,in many campaigns, after thefirst few experience levels, thefighters increasingly takea back seat to the magic-usingclasses, whose power increasesfaster than the fighters'.Second, many movies, novels,myths and legends just featurefighter characters, and ifone of those settings particularlyappeals to you, and you want tosimulate it in yourcampaign, you'll want to limityour campaign to fighters.

There are several ways torun such a campaign. Somesample arrangements include:

Mixed Warrior-Types in aMagical World

Mixed Warrior-Types in aMostly Non-Magical World

Mixed Warrior-Types in aStrictly Non-Magical World

One Warrior-Type in aMagical World

One Warrior-Type in aMostly Non-Magical World

One Warrior-Type in aStrictly Non-Magical World

In the second part of thischapter, we'll be talking about allthose arrangements, how theycan be set up and what theymean to a campaign.

Magical World vs. Non-Magical World

The DM, when setting uphis campaign, must decide howmuch magic there is in the world—not just magical items, butmagical monsters, spells, andeffects of any sort.

Magical World

In a warrior-orientedcampaign where magic exists atthe normal AD&D® game limits,magic is considered a scary thingwhich normal people don'tappreciate at all. Most wizardsencountered in the campaign willbe villains. The ones who arefriends of the PCs are mostlylow-powered (low-level).

This follows the patternof many sword-and-sorceryfiction series, where each story'sresolution comes down to acontest between the hero and hisfighting prowess vs. a dastardlywizard or magical creature andhis spells.

In such a campaign, theDM will have to decide whetherany player-character can be amulti-class or dual-class herowith Wizard or Priest spells. It's

Chapter 3: Role-Playingall right to have Ranger andPaladin characters, as they onlyacquire their spells slowly, andafter many experience levels . . .but the more magically potentwizards and priests pose a biggerproblem. Their magic is toohandy and too dependable; theDM has to make his magicalvillains even more powerful inorder to cope. In a campaignwhere PCs can't be priests orwizards, a much lower-levelmagical villain will be muchmore effective against them.

For these reasons, ifyou're going to try running awarrior-oriented campaign forthe first time, we recommendthat you not allow PCs to bepriests or wizards. You canalways choose to add the optionlater on . . . but if you find thatyou like the non-magical warriorarrangement, it's not so easy toremove the PCs' magical abilitiesfrom a campaign where you'vealready allowed them.

Mostly Non-Magical World

In a world where there'svery little magic, no PC canlearn spells. This means that noplayer-character can take a Priestor Wizard class as his characterprofession, or even as one of adual-class or multi-classcharacter's professions.

In such a campaign,characters can still be Rangersand Paladins. Even they can'tlearn spells . . . but they still gettheir other special abilities.

Paladins still have theabilities of detecting evil, +2 tosaving throws, immunity todisease, healing by laying onhands, aura of protection, turnundead, devils, and demons, andcalling of war horse; he can usethe special abilities of a holysword in the unlikely event hecan find one. All the Paladinlimitations still apply.

Rangers still have theirabilities of bonuses vs. a chosenenemy, dealing with creatures,building castles, forts, andstrongholds, and attractingfollowers. All the Rangerlimitations still apply.

In this type of campaign,magical items and treasure ofany sort are very, very rare. Theymay even be nonexistent, as theDM decides.

Magical monsters,equally rare, are especially nastyand fearsome. For example, adragon encountered in awarriors-only campaign is morelike the ferocious, unstoppableengine of death it appears in themyths, and it takes an especiallybrave St. George to confront one.

And wizards—if wizardsare found, they are evil beingswho have made pacts andallegiances with nether powersand received their spells fromthose powers. They'reparticularly nasty, powerful, andfrightening because they haveaccess to powers which theheroes can't even approximate.The heroes must use all theirbrains and brawn to confrontsuch powerful beings, and willoften have to prepare for such a

confrontation by findingartifacts, researching the historyof the wizard to discover hismotives and weaknesses, and soforth.

Strictly Non-Magical World

In worlds where there isno magic at all, there can be nogenuine Mage characters. (Ofcourse, there can be characterspretending to have magicalpowers, but they're probablyRogues running some sort ofscam operation.) Priests,Rangers, Paladins and Bardsexist but have no spells ormagical abilities whatsoever;they have only whatever specialstatus their society places ontheir professions.

Warrior-orientedcampaigns set on strictly non-magical worlds are good for a lotof things. By taking the emphasisoff magic, you put it on suchthings as combat, battling theelements, and pure adventure. Insuch a campaign, only one's wits,physical abilities and skills makethe difference between successand failure, life and death.Magic, with all its mystery andall its complications, doesn't everenter the picture.

This also means thatthings which would beunimpressive in a magical worldcan be awesome and mysteriousin a non-magical one. A "dragon"may just be a giant dinosaurbeast with no intelligence, nomagic spells, and no breathweapon, but it will be terrifyinganyway, as the characters have

Chapter 3: Role-Playingno magic with which to helpdestroy or defeat it.

Without magic present,characters are never raised fromthe dead. They must be playedmore carefully than in gameswhere resurrection is acommonplace event. It might beadvisable to start characters outat 3rd level, as described in theCharacter Creation chapter, sothat they'll be a little tougher tocompensate for this situation.

Such a campaign is idealfor settings based on historicalperiods. You could base yourAD&D® game campaign on theCrusades, on the era of piracy, onthe wars of imperial Rome orancient Greece, on the conquestof the New World. These are allsettings rich in action andmystery, but for which there'slittle evidence of monsters ormagic.

The Mixed-Warrior-TypeCampaign

In this type of campaign,the characters are mostly single-class warriors, and each mayhave a different Warrior Kit.With the DM's permission,multi-class and dualclasscharacters (so long as one of theclass choices is Fighter), priestsand rogues may also be played,but the majority of player-characters (over half) must besingle-class warriors. And theDM, if he wants a fighters-onlycampaign, never has to givepermission for those othercharacter classes to be played.

In a campaign devoted to

Warriors, the DM should fosteran attitude that it's moredesirable to be a fighter thananother class of character. Otherclasses may be allowed, but areusually represented by only onecharacter each.

One way to foster thisattitude is for the warrior-characters to get the lion's shareof admiration from the people.Characters belonging to otherclasses will get from the publicthe minimum amount ofadmiration they deserve for theirdeeds, but such acclaim shouldn'tbe their main motivation; thesecharacters must have other goalsif they're to be satisfied in such acampaign.

The One Warrior TypeCampaign

In this type of campaign,most or all of the player-characters have the same WarriorKit. They don't all have to be ofan identical class: In aSwashbucklers campaign, onecharacter could be aFighter/Swashbuckler, another aRanger/Swashbuckler, andanother a Paladin/Swashbuckler.

The DM may require thatall characters in such a campaignbe Warriors, or may allow a mixof character classes appropriateto the campaign's subject . . . butthe majority of characters muststill be Warriors, and otherclasses can be represented onlyby one player-character. Forexample, in a campaign based onthe legends of Robin Hood, mostof the characters will be Warriors

with the Pirate/Outlaw kit; theDM could permit just one or afew to be Thieves; there's onlyone Priest (Friar Tuck) and onlyone Bard (Allen a'Dale).

The purposes of thiscampaign (other than the normalHaving Fun and Going onAdventures, of course) are toshowcase the lives of characterswith this Warrior Kit, and topursue the goals common tocharacters who share thisWarrior Kit. So, below, you'llfind descriptions of campaignscentered around all the specificWarrior Kits and their specificgoals.

Amazons

In an Amazons campaign,obviously, most or all thecharacters are Amazons—reclusive women warriors.

The most interestingpurpose for such a campaignwould be to showcase a clash ofcultures: Have a party ofAmazon player-characters goadventuring in the outside world(the mysterious, dangerous,treacherous, woefully male-dominated outside world). A lotof the role-playing opportunityprovided by such a campaignwould involve the charactersdoing the following: Running upagainst, and battering down,prejudices against womenwarriors; and fighting their ownprejudices, which dictate eitherthat men are inferior and must bedowntrodden, or are alltreacherous and must always beviewed with distrust and

Chapter 3: Role-Playingsuspicion. They can also haveencouraging, amusing or eventragic encounters with thewomen of the outside world,whom they try to convince thatthe Amazon way of life is theOne True Way.

Here's a sampleadventure idea, drawn from mythlore about the Amazons:

Before the adventurebegins, a ship from the world ofmen (or a group of horsemen, ifyour Amazons are land bound)arrives in the Amazoncommunity, claiming to wish toconduct peaceful trade ornegotiations with the Amazonpeoples. They are graciouslyreceived by the Amazon courtand negotiations are held.

But something goeswrong. The next morning thenegotiators are gone, all fled—and the Queen is missing, too,obviously kidnapped by the men.The queen's sister assembles andsends forth a team of crackwarriors, the player-characters,to retrieve the kidnapped queenor die trying.

The PCs must equipthemselves, then head into theouter world. In the course oftheir pursuit of the kidnappers,they'll meet a lot of NPCs. Somewill be callous and stupid,intending only to oppress orenslave the PCs, and must bedealt with by cunning orviolence. Others will beadmiring of the characters'independence and ability, andwill challenge the Amazonnotion that all men in the outerworld are their enemies.

Finally, when the PCsreach the city where their queenis being held, the DM has todecide what her true status is.She might have indeed beenkidnapped by the negotiators andneeds to be rescued; the AmazonPCs may need to break into herprison and sneak her out, or mayneed to ally themselves with anouter-world army and sack thecity. Or, she might not have beenkidnapped at all, but mightinstead have been struck by asudden love for one of thenegotiators, and fled with him—especially fleeing herresponsibilities as queen. If that'sthe case, the PCs might chooseto turn around and go home, ormight have to sack the cityanyway, to avenge the affrontdone them by their thoughtlessex-queen.

Since not many playinggroups will want to switch overto the eccentric all- Amazonformat, you ought to read thetext below on "Campaign vs.Mini-Series" for a way to playsuch a thing without disruptingyour usual campaign.

Barbarians and Berserkers

In the Barbarians andBerserkers campaign, most or allcharacters belong to a singlebarbarian tribe.

The Barbarians andBerserkers campaign has acouple of purposes. First, it's anopportunity for a campaign witha lot of combat, especially if thecampaign revolves aroundclashes between two or more

competing tribes. Second, it's anopportunity to showcase howdecadent and corrupt the"civilized" world is, contrastedwith the simple strength and rudehonor of the barbarian tribes.

There are severalcommon types of Barbarians andBerserkers campaigns.

One type is the TribalCampaign: The PCs live withtheir tribe and act as itsdefenders and heroes. They repelinvasions, hunt mighty andmonstrous animals for theirmeat, attack rival tribes, and dowhatever they can to ensure theirown tribe's survival. Here's onesample adventure idea: Inwastelands distant fromcivilization, two tribes do battle.One is an NPC tribe, and theother is represented by the playercharacters and some NPCs. Thetwo tribes can be enemiesbecause they compete forhunting lands, because of someold grudge, for any reason ornone.

Adventures involvingbattles between them might besimple fights to the deathbetween small squads (madeparticularly interesting by roughterrain and weather), but you cancomplicate things, too. What ifthe two tribes, in the course oftheir mobile combat, stumbleacross some silent, time-lost citypopulated by monsters? Thetribes may continue their runningbattle through the city,awakening the ancient, sleepingmonsters, who will eventuallycome after the barbarians,forcing them to combine their

Chapter 3: Role-Playingefforts or die . . .

Another type is theBarbarians in a Civilized WorldCampaign: The player characterbarbarians and berserkers travelthrough the so-called civilizedworld. They may be seeking anew place to settle their tribe, theold site being untenable for onereason or another; they may bemercenaries who hire themselvesout to anyone with enough gold;they may be pursuing somevillain who insulted them, orwho sacked their village whilethe warriors were awayadventuring.

The player-characterstravel through a world wherecivilization equals decadence,where all men are weaker thanour barbarian heroes. Theyencounter terrifying black magicin jungle ruins, battle enemyarmies which stand in their way,stumble across hidden evilwizards and the bizarre monstersthey create, and so forth.

Yet another type is theBarbarians for the CrownCampaign: This is much like theBarbarians in a Civilized Worldcampaign, but here the barbarianheroes have a purpose. One ormore of them intends to rule acivilized nation. He and hisfriends must gather enoughpower to be able to accomplishthis, usually by joining the armyof some great nation, risingquickly through its ranks (all thewhile going on many dangerousarmy-oriented adventures), andwinning enough popular supportin the army and elsewhere thatthey can overthrow the current

despotic royal family.A last choice for a

campaign combines all three ofthe campaign styles above. In theearly stages of the campaign, allthe characters are great tribaldefenders; many adventures canbe run with this theme. Later,some great calamity forces theheroes to leave their native tribe.As described earlier, this couldbe a mission of vengeance whichforces them to leave for the outerworld; it could be the destructionof their entire tribe by powerful,evil forces; it could be aprophecy which says that one ofthe PCs will bring doom on thetribe if he stays, but glory tohimself and his companions if heleaves. So for many game-yearsthe heroes will adventure in theouter world, until something(another prophecy, their owndesires, the desires ormanipulations of an NPCinvolved with the group) pointthem at the crumbling throne of agreat nation.

In the Barbarians andBerserkers campaign, by theway, magic use is almost alwaysscorned. Magic is consideredunclean and almost all wizardsare evil enemies of the heroes.Though it would not beinappropriate for one character tobe some sort of shamanistic hero(for example, a dual-classFighter/Mage), this sort ofcampaign is best suited to worldswith little or no magic.

Beast-Riders

The Beast-Riderscampaign is very similar to theBarbarians and Berserkerscampaign. But there aresignificant differences in theplayer-characters' goals andmotivations.

In the Beast-Riderscampaign, it's the tribe'sassociation with its totem animalthat provides much of the flavorof the campaign. The villains andthreats of the campaign don't justmenace the humans; they alsoendanger the animals on whomthe tribe is so dependent.

For example, in such acampaign, an evil wizard deeperin the wilderness has alliedhimself with an animal that is anatural (or unnatural) enemy ofthe tribe's totem. Now, he'ssending his own warriors afterthe tribe's animals, trying todestroy them and conquer thetribe. If the player-charactertribesmen ride dire wolves, thesorcerer's minions, fewer innumber than the tribesmen, willbe ogres riding smilodons (sabretooth tigers). If the PCs ridepegasi, the more-numerousenemies might be goblins ridinggiant bats.

Perhaps this evil sorcererwants the tribe's land; perhaps hewants the tribe's princess;perhaps his god is an enemy ofthe god representing the tribe'sanimal totem. Whatever thecause, he's evil and must be dealtwith.

In the early stages of thecampaign, the ordinarily-happy

Chapter 3: Role-Playingtribesmen suddenly beginsuffering attacks at the hands ofthese enemies. They must defendtheir village from the first,murderous assault, then set uppatrols and reconnaissancemissions to probe into enemyterritory and find out what'sgoing on. Ultimately, they willhave to assemble a crack team oftribesmen (the player-charactersand their immediate friends) topenetrate enemy territory, sneakinto the citadel of the enemy, anddestroy him.

Additionally, all thecampaign types appropriate forthe Barbarians and Berserkerscampaign work just as well withthe Beast-Riders campaign.

In this sort of campaign,since everyone has the sameWarrior Kit and might seem verysimilar, each warrior shouldchoose a very differentPersonality in order todistinguish himself from hisfellows.

This campaign may haveno interaction at all with theworld's civilized nations; or, thetribe's enemy might be apowerful lord from the civilizedlands, and the heroes' mission todestroy him will be doublyperilous because they don't knowwhat they'll be facing in thosestrange lands.

Cavaliers

In the Cavalierscampaign, the player-charactersare all noble knights questing forgoodness and glory.

This can be one of the

great weaknesses of such acampaign. Who wants to beclean-scrubbed, dedicated togoodness, and holier than thouall the time?

So when running such acampaign, the DM and playersmust be careful to distinguish theCavaliers from one another inpersonality, motivations, dressand style. Yes, they'll all bedevoted to good; but they canhave different alignments,outlooks, and personalities. OneCavalier can be a heavy-heartedFated Philosopher; another,though still devoted to doinggood, may have been sufficientlyembittered by his pre-campaignexperiences to be a DangerousAntagonist; still another mayhave beencursed and is now a DoomedChampion.

Cavalier Campaigns areusually run to showcase epicstruggles between pure good (theplayer-characters) and pure evil.The fate of the nation or theentire world may be at stake. Forexample, at some time in thepast, the world's greatest kinghas discovered that a greatmenace threatens to overwhelmall the world, so he hasassembled his bravest newknights to find out what it is anddeal with it. In their earlyadventures, these Cavaliers aregaining experience, rising upfrom the lowest levels, andassembling clues as to what sortof menace the world faces. Asthey learn more, and begin tohave more and more directconfrontations with the minions

of the menace, they realize thatthe threat is indeed real . . . andthat they're not yet adequate tosave the day. They mustcontinually quest to becomebetter warriors, to find specificmagical items which aresupposed to be useful against themenace, and to gather allies andraise armies . . . until the finalhour is upon them, and it's timefor these much more experiencedheroes to face the battle of theirlives.

Since all Cavaliers aregood-aligned, the campaignattitude is not going to promoterude PC behavior: Theft,robbery, assault, insults, andbetrayals are all actions that willget the PCs in trouble with eachother (and with the DM).

Gladiators

There are two interestingapproaches to having a gladiator-based campaign.

You could have acampaign centered around thegladiatorial arena. Each characteris a different type of gladiator:One novice, one square-jawedhero adept at everything, severalgladiators each specializing inone interesting weaponscombination. The campaigndeals with the hero-gladiators intheir efforts to survive not onlythe arena but the plotting andtrickery of gladiators belongingto a rival patron.

In one adventure, theenemies might drug our heroes'food before the heroes are due tofight some particularly fierce

Chapter 3: Role-Playingmonster on the sands; if theheroes fight, they are in extradanger because of the drug'seffects, and if they do not fight,they lose considerable audiencepopularity and political clout.In another adventure, a popularslave-gladiator leads a rebellion;do our heroes, if they're freegladiators, help the rebellion orhelp repress it?

In another adventure, theenemy patron manages to frameone or more of the heroes for aninsult they did not perform, andthey are challenged to arena-battle to the death by a group ofnoble heroes they do not wish tofight . . . and so on.

However, though manyadventures can be generatedaround the coliseum life, such acampaign is inherently limited,and will either end fairly soon orbranch out into other adventures.

If you're familiar withItalian sword-and-sandal movies,you know of one way such acampaign could branch out. Insuch films, you often havegroups of gladiators and ex-gladiators going out into theworld and righting wrongs.When a city is being bled dry bya tyrannical ruler, the gladiatorsshow up and cast him down.When the Emperor's daughter iskidnapped and ransomed, theEmperor doesn't call on his crackguardsmen; he asks thegladiators to rescue the princess.

Such adventures oftenhave a lot of broad comedy inthem. Gladiators usually havefierce unarmed-combat abilitiesso that they don't have to kill

common-grunt guardsmen inevery tavern brawl.

Myrmidons

In the Myrmidonscampaign, the player-charactersare all heroes with the MyrmidonWarrior Kit. They're either partof an elite unit in a regular armyor guard, or they're a small,efficient mercenary team who'veworked together for years(before the campaign began, thatis).

This campaign is bestsuited to providing the characterswith interesting military andtactical situations.

For example, in oneadventure, theirsuperiors/employers instructthem to rescue a kidnappedambassador from an old,abandoned fort that is nowoccupied by bandit/kidnappers.The heroes are given a map ofthe place, a certain amount ofgold for equipment, and adeadline (never more than a fewdays). They have to work out allthe plans of the assault andrescue, then go in, retrieve thekidnapee, and escape with himunharmed if they're to get theirmoney or the commendation oftheir superiors.

In other adventures, thecharacters' unit might be part ofa much larger military forcefighting a long-standing war;some adventures will be stand-upcombats with enemy troops,some will be reconnaissancemissions behind enemy lines,some will be rest and recreation

binges in nearby civilian towns.In most cases, the players

should have the opportunity toplan out their own militaryoperations. This gives them agreater sense of satisfactionwhen the plans succeed . . .and abetter understanding of howthings work in the game-worldwhen the plans fail.

Obviously, this is a verypro-military campaign setting,and the PCs and their NPCfriends won't tolerate differingoutlooks. Minor villains in thiscampaign include officers whoknow less about militaryoperations than the PCs, orofficers who deliberatelysacrifice subordinates in order togain success and promotions; soare civilians who rabidly opposethe ongoing conflict, those whoare disrespectful of soldiers, etc.

Noble Warriors

This is a campaign ofknights and chivalric doings.Some of the characters aretraditional medieval knights,some are their squires; othersmay be warriors or mercenariesaccompanying their party, orother types of characters beingescorted by them (noblemen andnoblewomen, priests, etc.).

This type of campaigndiffers greatly from the Cavalierscampaign in that the NobleWarriors don't have to be staunchsupporters of goodness and light.Some will be true heroes; somewill be self-centered boors. Butthey share the common ties ofknighthood and nobility, so they

Chapter 3: Role-Playingusually get along with oneanother.

For an idea of what sortsof adventures are appropriate toa Noble Warriors campaign, youneed only read the books and seethe movies, available in thehundreds or thousands,appropriate to such characters. Inparticular, the novels of SirWalter Scott and the chroniclesof the doings of Camelot arevery appropriate source material(and, no, not all the knights ofCamelot were Cavaliers; somewere brutes).

In Noble Warriorscampaigns, the heroes wanderthe land righting wrongs bysword or lance; they fightdragons which lair in menacingcaverns in the deepest woods;they defend the land againstinfidels and invaders; theycompete with one another infriendly tournaments andunfriendly clashes between rivalkings or barons; and they raiseand lead great armies onoverseas crusades.

They also defend theprerogatives of their class. Forinstance, in a Cavalierscampaign, the PC heroes mightjoin a peasant's rebellion againstthe land's rightful (but greedyand abusive) rulers, and evencompletely overthrow that land'ssystem of rulership. In a NobleWarriors campaign, the PCs willinstead help put down therebellion . . . and then the goodones among them willinvestigate the cause of therebellion, and perhaps depose theevil lords on their own. At that

point, they'd elevate the nextperson in line for the throne orlordship—as long as he was anoble enough character.

In Noble Warriorcampaigns, if the PCs all agreeto it, they can all be unchivalricboors. Perhaps they all prefer tobe robber-barons and ill-tempered knights. If that's thecase, and the DM has noproblem with it, that's fine.

Peasant Heroes

In a campaign dedicatedto Peasant Heroes, you havemuch the same situation as withBarbarians and Berserkers. Threegood approaches for campaignsare the Town Defenders, PeasantHeroes Out in the World, andPeasant Heroes Aiming for theCrown, much as the Barbariancampaigns were structured.

There are differencesbetween the Peasant Heroes andBarbarians campaigns, though.In the Barbarians campaign, theplayer-characters are outsiders inthis civilization, and civilizationitself is bad—decadent,crumbling, not at all admirable.In a Peasant Heroes campaign,the player-characters belong tothis civilization; they are, in fact,small-town folk who are muchadmired. Civilization is not bador ruinous, though the nationmay be ruled by dissipatednobles who have to beoverthrown or eliminated(leaving the throne open, ofcourse, for one of the PeasantHeroes to take).

One very appropriate

Peasant Heroes mini-series toplay would involve a ForeignInvasion. Troops from theneighboring enemy nation pourover the border and swarmthrough the PCs' country,slaughtering or enslavingeveryone in their path. One largeunit of enemy soldiersapproaches the PCs' village. ThePCs and their allies must fightand keep the enemy at bay togive the villagers time to escape.Afterward, hopefully, the PCsthemselves can escape into thenearby wilderness to figure outwhat to do next.

Their nation has beencaught by surprise andoverwhelmed by this suddenattack; the capital is taken, theking imprisoned or executed.The heroes have the option offleeing their land for some nationnot yet taken by the invaders . . .or arranging a resistance andrevolt movement to take thenation back from the invaders.From episode to episode, theheroes can make and thenexecute their plans: Harrying theenemy troops, building theresistance army up to greaterstrength, going on sabotagemissions into dangerous invader-held territory, raiding armories,kidnapping important invaders,anticipating and thwartinginvader repercussions, andeventually throwing off the yokeof the enemy altogether.

Such a campaign couldgo on for years, and when it wasdone, and the enemy was inretreat, could change into analtogether different sort of

Chapter 3: Role-Playingcampaign. The surviving PCheroes could be knighted, andcommence a Noble Warriorscampaign; or, now that theirwork is done, they could findthemselves unable to return totheir normal, workaday lives anddecide to become raiders of thehigh seas (i.e., pirates).

Pirates and Outlaws

It's quite enjoyable tohave a whole campaign whereeveryone is a pirate or outlaw. Inpirate campaigns, all thecharacters are raiders of the seas;in outlaw campaigns, everyone isa lawless warrior. In bothcampaigns, the bands ofcharacters prey on the weak (butwealthy) and may haveimportant goals to achieve otherthan just taking money awayfrom people who have too muchof it.

The DM shoulddetermine and then make it clearfrom the outset whether this is a"good guy" or "bad guy"campaign.

Good-Guy Outlaws andPirates

If it's a "good guy"campaign, the player-charactersare heroes . . . butmisunderstood.

They may have beenframed for crimes they did notcommit, and were forced to fleethe authorities (it's hard to proveyour innocence when you'reswinging from a gibbet). Theymay be enemies of the new

ruling power (if a wise old rulerdies and is replaced by anoppressive and unfair new ruler,that's ample justification toembark on a life of outlawry . . .in the game and the movies,anyway).

In such a campaign, thecharacters are wanted by the law,but it's the law that's wrong, andthe heroes treat their captivesand victims with golden-ruleethics.

In other words, they'llcapture innocents and take theirmoney and goods . . . but they'lloffer no insult to victims whodeserve none, will tend to releasesuch prisoners unharmed.Inevitably, some of these formerprisoners will be re-introduced inthe story in an upper-handposition, and may be able orwilling to help the unlawfulheroes when they're in a badposition.

On the other hand,victims who are their trueenemies (wicked representativesof the evil rulers, personalenemies, tax collectors,competing pirates and outlawswith no scruples, and self-centered money-grubbers of anysort) tend to be humiliated andembarrassed while they areprisoners of the PCs. Unless theybehave very stupidly and attackthe PCs, they, too, are likely tobe released unharmed; if they doattack, they tend to be battled insingle combat, and usually arekilled. Enemy prisoners, ifreleased, also tend to reappear inthe story down the line . . .usually at a time when they can

do a lot of harm to the player-characters.

The main goal of this sortof campaign is restoring the oldstatus quo. If the characters usedto be law-abiding citizens andare now wanted by the law forthe wrong reasons, their eventualgoal is to prove their innocence.If the land used to be ruled by awise ruler who is nowimprisoned or dead, thecharacters' goal is to release himfrom prison or find and crownhis wise true heir.

Often, the heroes' force ofmen (pirate ship or outlaw band)will prove useful to someone in aposition of power (like therescued ruler or another powerfulnoble), and that personage willissue them pardons andcommissions into his army ornavy just before the slam-bangclimax of the campaign or mini-series.

Bad-Guy Outlaws and Pirates

If it's a "bad guy"campaign, the DM and playerswill have to define the campaigngoal. It may be nothing morethan the acquisition of treasureover years of outlawry. It may beconsiderably more specific, suchas the finding of a treasureburied by a famous long-deadpirate, or the execution of abrilliant robbery plan.

The bad-guy campaign ismostly suitable to characters ofneutral or evil orientation, and toplayers who just want to play ina nasty fashion for a while. Theircharacters don't have the dainty

Chapter 3: Role-Playingethics of the good-guy piratesand outlaws. No, they robeveryone, from other villains tovirtuous maidens to piousclergymen. Prisoners in theirhands won't know what toexpect; they may get not-too-uncomfortable imprisonment forransoming purposes, or brutalmistreatment, or death, or worsethan death, however the player-characters feel. Further, the PCs'feelings, and their treatment ofprisoners, may change from dayto day.

This is a dangerousenvironment and campaign.Since the PCs are as scummy astheir worst enemies, thereprobably won't be any DMsympathy to help keep themalive in bad situations. The PCswill be competing on equal termswith the nastiest of villains, andyou can expect a high bodycount among PCs and NPCsalike.

On the other hand, whenyou're in a destructive mood, itcan be a lot of fun.

Samurai

In the samurai campaign,obviously enough, the charactersare samurai or ronin, and hereyou have the same sort ofdivision as you had in thepirates/outlaws campaign.

If the characters aresamurai, their usual adventuresare likely to be missions for theirlord. An ongoing campaignmight deal with the lord'scampaign to become ruler of allthe land (while the PCs

maneuver for power beneathhim, possibly with the intentionof removing and replacing himlater on); the campaign mightinstead deal with expeditionsinto unknown lands (such as theusual player-character setting,which creates, just like in theAmazons description above, theopportunity for a "clash ofcultures" mini-series).

If the characters areronin, their usual adventurescould be mercenary actions asthey play a part in warfare intheir land; or the campaign couldbe an exercise in outlawry, aswith the pirates and outlawsdescription above. These ronincharacter could be noble samuraidriven into a lawless and lordlessstate, or could be honorless bad-guy ronin with no interestsbeyond survival, wealth, andkilling people.

Either way, if you intendto run a samurai campaign, youought to buy the OrientalAdventures game supplement, anextensive AD&D® gametreatment of the world of orientalrole-playing. You won't have toadapt everything in it to yourAD&D 2nd Edition campaign,but you'll find useful materialthere anyway.

Savages

There are a lot of ways torun a Savages campaign. Hereare only a few of them:

Just Like Barbarians andBerserkers: A campaignfeaturing savages as theplayercharacters could be run

practically identically to thecampaigns given for theBarbarians and Berserkersdescriptions above. The maindifference is that Savagecharacters are considerably moredistanced from civilization thanbarbarians are. They don'tunderstand it nearly as well andare likely to be alarmed, scared,offended or put off by manymore features of the civilizedworld than the barbariancharacter. They're not as likely towant to become rulers in theoutside world, because they don'tlike it as much.

Jungle Kings: You couldhave the campaign revolvearound a Jungle King: Apowerful savage warrior whomay have been reared by orspirit-bonded with some sort ofnoble animal (apes, wolves,lions, etc.). The Jungle Kingcharacter is often the friend ofone savage tribe (including theother player-characters), and canlead them on all sorts of fantasticadventures. Treasure-huntingtrips into eerie valleys (populatedby lost tribes, monsters out ofancient legend, or dangerous andalien wizards), and elaborateraiding missions against theencroachments of civilization,are two good examples. Also, theJungle King seems always to fallin love with a woman from theouter-world civilization, and she,in turn, has a tendency to bekidnapped out of her new junglehaven; other adventures caninvolve missions to rescue her.(Naturally, a Jungle Queencharacter could find herself a

Chapter 3: Role-Playingcivilized mate with the sameinclinations toward beingkidnapped.)

Savages In the Big City:If you're interested in playing acomedy adventure, try running ascenario where a group of savageplayer-characters must enter ahuge civilized city (for any of thenoble reasons discussed earlier,such as a rescue), but play theadventure for laughs. Thesavages will probably be assneaky and clever as ever atcreeping across rooftops in themoonlight, but try confrontingthem with objects and situationsmore likely to get a laugh than acombat response. Savages fromthe unspoiled wilderness will notknow how to cope withelemental-powered self-drivingchariots, bureaucracy, distilledliquors, wizards, familiars,parades, magically-animatedstreet-sweeper machinery,dancing brooms cleaning out themage's tower, talking swords,dance-halls for the undead, orany such thing.

Swashbucklers

The Swashbucklerscampaign is for players whowant characters with a lot ofstyle adventuring in asophisticated setting. TheMusketeers novels of AlexandreDumas are a perfect source forcharacter types, adventure ideas,and settings for such a campaign.

In the Swashbucklerscampaign, the player-charactersare elegant heroes, experts withthe rapier, making their way in a

huge city. They tend to livehand-to-mouth, gaining largetreasures one day and spendingthrough them in a very shorttime, so they may be rich andgenerous one day and stealingtheir food the next. This is not acampaign devoted to honest andhard-working heroes. The PCsmay be as honorable as theirplayers want, but they're stillcharming rakes who like to getby on as little effort as necessary.

However, when dangerlooms, they'll gladly throwthemselves into an adventure,one which may lead them on adesperate horseback race acrossthe land or into the darkcatacombs under the city, wheremonsters dwell. Adventures maylead them from the court of theirking, to the barracks of thenation's army (as they brieflybecome soldiers orcommissioned officers), to thefront lines of the ongoing warwith a neighboring power, todesperate missions behindenemy lines, to secret forays intothe capital city's prison (so thatthey might rescue the king'ssecret twin or their friend who'sbeen imprisoned for knowing toomuch).

The heroes are in aconstant competition to out-stylethe other. In combat, each tries tobe the flashiest. In romance, eachtries to be the most witty, mostcourteous, most gallant. Also,they're in similar competitionwith rival NPC swashbucklers,who are often members of acompeting military force orfencing academy.

In all, it's a campaign ofgreat style and showmanship.

Wilderness Warriors

In the WildernessWarriors campaign, the player-characters are members of tribesor clans living in harshwilderness environments. Suchcampaigns are, again, verysimilar to the choices forBarbarians and Berserkerscampaigns, but one of thedifferences and attractions of theWilderness Warriors campaign isthe setting.

In such a campaign, theDM must go out of his way tospotlight the wonder and dangerof the setting. These are truewilderness adventures, wherenature and monsters are thecharacters' enemies much morefrequently than enemy men ordemihumans.

And becausewildernesses are so big andunexplored, the characters, intheir wanderings, may encountermany unusual cities andsocieties, ruins and treasures.

For example, in a DesertNomads campaign, thecharacters might be fighting arival nomad tribe when a vastsandstorm, lasting hours or days,forces them all to seek shelter.When the storm blows over, ithas uncovered a long-buried city.The two forces continue theirwar through the streets,buildings, and catacombs of thecity . . . while the ancient evilthat was buried with the cityslowly awakens . . .

Chapter 3: Role-PlayingIn an Arctic Warriors

campaign, the local seal or whalepopulation might havedisappeared—been hunted toextinction, or just left formysterious reasons. In thecampaign, the PC heroes have towander over unexplored regionsto find a new place capable ofsustaining the tribe; they'llencounter yeti, ice golemscontrolled by frozen liches,avalanches, frost giants, andother arctic perils before theyfind their promised land.

The Military Campaign

Finally, you can run anall-military campaign without itnecessarily being an all-Myrmidons campaign.

Possibly the mostinteresting way to do this is togradually move the campaignsetting toward a major war. Earlyin the regular campaign,establish that the playercharacters' country often hasproblems and frictions with aneighboring country; showcasethe disputes between the nationsby having NPCs from the othernation be rude or abusive to thePCs (and, to be fair, have NPCsfrom the player-characters'country be equally vulgar toforeign NPCs who don't deservesuch treatment; the PCs may findthemselves in the uncomfortableposition of being honor-bound todefend the "enemy" from theirown dishonorable countrymen!).

As the campaignprogresses and the player-characters gain experience

levels, increase the frictionbetween the nations.Occasionally, the PCs will runinto foreign spy-nests and spy-plans.

Ultimately, when the PCshave achieved high experiencelevels and are importantcharacters in the nation, theyshould be in on the events thatspark the eventual war. Forexample, their king may askthem to accompany him to thepeace conference where he andhis old enemy are supposed topatch up their differences, marrytheir children to one another, andsign mutual nonaggression pacts.But when they're there,something goes drasticallywrong: Perhaps dopplegangerspretending to be the PCsassassinate the foreign king,while dopplegangers pretendingto be the greatest heroes of theother nation assassinate the PCs'king. (The dopplegangers, ofcourse, are under the control ofthe evil king of a third nation,who intends to move in, pick upthe pieces, and conquer everyonewhen these two nations havebeaten each other to pieces.)

At this point, war isinevitable, and the PCs are put incommand of an entire army. Forthe remainder of this extendedstory-line, the PCs have to leadtheir men in combat againstenemy forces, defending theirown nation or penetrating intothe enemy territory; meanwhile,they'll be doing their ownadventures and investigations,trying to come up with proof thatthe two rulers were assassinated

by a third party, not by theheroes of the two nations.

Once the two armies aregetting seriously tired and hurt,the PCs should be able to comeup with the proof they need.They convince the new rulers ofboth nations of the identity oftheir true enemy. At this point,it's time for the two armies tojoin forces (and swallowingdown their many years of mutualdistrust, especially after the lastseveral months of fighting, willbe particularly hard, leading toeven more plot opportunities).Now, the two battered armiesmarch into the third nation, thePCs still in charge of their ownarmy (or perhaps each PC is nowa general in his own right), andthe final battle with the freshforces of the evil enemy ruler isstill to come...

In such a way, you cansustain an all-military campaignfor many months of game-time,and resolve important conflictsand story lines in your campaignworld.

Campaign vs. Mini-Series

Though you can take anyof the above campaign ideas andmake it into a formal campaign,one which is supposed tocontinue episode after episodeuntil the DM and players growtired of it, you can also run anyof them as a mini-series, acampaign which is deliberatelyrun only for enough episodes tocomplete one full-length story. Ina sense, the regular campaign islike a TV series, while the mini-

Chapter 3: Role-Playingseries is like a novel or movie.

Campaigns

The campaign goes onover a long period of time andencompasses many smallerstories and goals; it sometimesgoes through cast changes as theprincipal heroes die, leave, orretire.

The bright promise of thecampaign is that, so long as theDM and players remain togetherand interested, it can go on for along, long time; the characterscan participate in adventure afteradventure, story after story. Thecampaign can chroniclegenerations of the adventurers'families, as the originaladventurers sire children whothemselves grow up to be theplayer-characters.

In a campaign, PCs aredesigned to be played practicallyforever. You figure on thecharacter growing anddeveloping slowly, over time,and so PCs are almost alwayscreated at low level, usually 1stlevel.

As the PCs develop, theirplayers sometimes become veryattached to them, so much so thatwhen a character dies (in such afashion that he cannot be raised,it is very upsetting to the player.

Mini-Series

The mini-series, on theother hand, typically covers oneextended story—the acquisitionof one treasure, the defeat of onespecific master villain, the

exploration of a newly-discovered island, the resolutionof a war between nations. It maybe played in a single session orgo on for a dozen, but the DMand players know that it'ssupposed to be limited in scope.

Its characters are rolledup and can be played quitedifferently. Since they are"temporary" characters, they canbe created at a level best suitedto the plot of the story. If thescenario is supposed to involve acrack squad of cavalrymen on aspecial mission, everyone couldbe created at 5th level. If it's tobe powerful, experienced knightson a quest, everyone could becreated at 9th level. If it's to belegendary heroes transportedfrom the past at the peak of theirpowers, they could be created at20th level or higher.

In some regularcampaigns, PCs die regularly. Ifthe DM of such a campaign runsa mini-series, the players canexpect the same, but probablywon't mind so much because thecharacters were "temporary"anyway.

In some regularcampaigns, the DM tends toprotect the PCs a little bit,covering over for little errorswhich could be fatal, especiallywhen they take place in incidentswhich are not important to thecampaign or current storyline. Ina mini-series, on the other hand,the DM is likely to be moredeadly (because no one is quiteso involved with his character),meaning that the setting andsituation are more dangerous; the

players will have a greater senseof the danger to their charactersin this type of setting.

One last option with themini-series: Though it is a verylimited campaign, deliberatelycreated so that it will soon end,the DM can always run mini-series "sequels." In the sequel,the survivors of the originalmini-series can band togetheragain to meet a new challenge,joined by new heroes(replacements for those who fellin the last story). The DM canfiddle with experience levels ashe chooses, running one mini-series (for example) at fifth level,the sequel at ninth level, thesecond sequel at 13th, and so on.

Switching Between Them

Because campaigns andmini-series are very different butequally compelling, DMs shouldthink about switching betweenthem from time to time.

For most people, thecampaign is the most satisfyingformat. But, also for mostpeople, the campaign gets a bittiresome after a while, and thegroup breaks from it for a time.In that time, it's very appropriateto run a short-term mini-series(or several), allowing the DMand players to explore newsettings and characters untilthey're ready to pick up theregular campaign again.

This is the ideal forumfor you to try out some of themore unusual or outrageouscampaign ideas described earlierin this chapter.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesThe Warrior is a character

whose primary function iscombat, and combat is what thischapter is all about. Though theAD&D® game combat system issufficient to most of your combatneeds, this chapter will give youoptional rules and advice whichcan add flavor to your game.

It's important toremember that everything in thischapter is an optional rule;nothing recommended here canbe implemented in yourcampaign without the DM'spermission.

New Combat Rules

Here are some optionalrules you can add to combat inyour campaign.

Off-Hand Weapons Use

All characters arepresumed to be better with onehand than the other—in real life,most people are right-handed,quite a few are left-handed, andonly a very few are trulyambidextrous.

When a character is firstcreated, the player shouldspecify his handedness (right orleft). If he does not specify one,the DM should assume thecharacter is righthanded.

If a character, forwhatever reason, fights with hisoff-hand instead of his goodhand, he suffers a –2 penalty toattack rolls with all attacks. Forexample, should a character findhimself with his right handchained to a wall, and yet he

needs to draw and throw adagger and must use his off-hand, he'll then suffer the –2penalty to attack rolls.

If you wish a character tobe ambidextrous, consult"Ambidexterity," below, under"Weapon Proficiency Slots."

Kneeling and Sitting

A character who iskneeling or sitting (for example,because he's been knocked downor injured) is at a disadvantage incombat. He can't move around aseffectively and so cannot dodgeincoming attacks. For thatreason, whenever someoneattacks a victim who is kneeling,the attacker gets a +1 to attackrolls; when someone attacks avictim who is sitting, the attackergets a +2 to attack rolls; andwhen someone attacks a victimwho is flat on his back (butaware of the attack and trying toavoid it), the attacker gets a +4to attack rolls.

Attacking a characterwho is held (by magic) or asleepis automatically successful,causing normal damage.

When a character iskneeling, sitting, or on his back,he can get to his feet one of twoways. If he still has an attack leftto perform this round, he cangive it up, not make an attack,and stand up instead. Or, he canwait until after initiative is rolledfor the next round: When itcomes time for him to describehis action, he can stand up then,without losing any of his attacksfor that round.

Range and Initiative

Here's a rule to give someadvantage to those charactersand parties (and monsters) whichalways have ranged attacksready.

When two groups firstcome within sight of one anotherat distances of 20 feet or less(here a "group" can consist ofonly one person or creature, orcan have more), and only onegroup has missile capabilityalready in hand, that group getsa "free shot" with its rangedweapons.

This isn't a full combatround, not a bonus round fromsurprise: It's a split second ofinstinctive reaction on the part ofthe missile throwers in the group.While they're firing, mages andpriests can't cast spells, othercharacters can't ready weapons.A knife expert can't draw a knifeand throw it in this split second;he can only throw it if he alreadyhas it in hand. In this split-second, characters can take noaction other than, perhaps, to talkor shout something brief to oneanother.

Once that free shot istaken, on the first full combatround of the fight, roll initiativenormally. The party that wasfired upon gets a +2 modifier forbeing slightly disadvantaged bythe enemy's missile superiority.

Remember that thisoption can only be taken whenone side, and not the other, hasready missile weapons (i.e.,bows or crossbows in hand witharrows and quarrels already

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesnocked, or throwing weaponssuch as spears, javelins, axes andknives already in hand). Also,the party which can take thisoption doesn't have to; the groupdoes not have to fire uponanother person, group or monsterthe instant it sees its target. If thegroup chooses not to, theopportunity is lost and thecharacters have the usual optionsto talk to the other group; if theychoose to fight, initiative isrolled normally. The side withoutthe missile weapons doesn't getthe +2 modifier this time.

If the party is wanderingaround in conditions of poorvisibility (such as a dungeon),the DM can rule that the target isbarely visible and that the partycannot recognize many detailsabout the target: "Ahead of youin the corridor, about 60 feet up,you see a group of human sizesilhouettes moving your way. Asyou spot them, they spot you,too, and slow down. You can'ttell what they are . . ." At thispoint, if the PCs have missileweapons and the NPCs don't, thePCs can take this free shot, butare faced with the prospect ofattacking an unknown quantity.They could be firing upon theHigh King and his adventuringretinue, for all they know.

When two groups bothhave ready missile weapons,neither gets this option. Rollinitiative normally. (If twogroups both have ready missileweapons, and one group spotsthe other without the other grouprealizing it, that group winsinitiative, but doesn't get the

"free shot." Picture it this way:When the first group looses itsvolley, the missilers of thesecond group immediately turnaround and loose theirs. So we'reput in a position of normalcombat.)

Finally, for this option,remember that spell-type missileabilities don't count, but"natural" ones do. A dragon'sbreath acts as a ready missileweapon, as do a manticore's tail-spikes. However, a gold dragon'sspells don't count, nor does avampire's charming, forexample.

Weapon Proficiency Slots

You know about WeaponProficiencies from pages 51-52of the Player's Handbook. Here,we'll talk about some additional,special things you can do in acampaign with WeaponProficiencies.

Intelligence and Proficiencies

We're going to beshowing you a lot of interestingthings you can do with theWeapon Proficiencies rules.Therefore, you need to use therule for extra Proficiencies givenon page 51 of the Player'sHandbook. There, it says thatyou may, with the DM'spermission, take extraproficiencies when first createdequal to the number of extralanguages the character getsfrom high Intelligence (see Table4, page 19, Player's Handbook).These extra proficiencies may be

divided as the player choosesbetween Weapon Proficienciesand Nonweapon Proficiencies.

Single-Weapon Proficiency,Weapon Specialization

In the Player'sHandbook, the only things youcan do with WeaponProficiencies are take single-weapon proficiencies andspecialize in particular weapons.

To briefly review theinformation from that section:

A character must have aProficiency with a weapon to useit normally. To becomeproficient, the character "spends"one of the Weapon ProficiencySlots he has on that weapon.Each slot can buy proficiencywith one weapon. If he uses aweapon he's not proficient in, hesuffers an attack penalty: –2 forweapons which are completelyunfamiliar, or –1 for weaponssimilar to those with which healready has proficiency. (Thatpenalty is worse for non-Warriors.)

To specialize in aparticular weapon, the charactermust devote an extra weaponproficiency slot to it. (In the caseof bows or crossbows, it takestwo extra slots.) When using hisspecial weapon, the charactergets a +1 to attack rolls and +2 todamage. (With bows andcrossbows, he instead gets a newrange category, pointblank: 6–30feet for crossbows, 6–60 feet forbows. Within that range, he gainsa +2 to attack rolls. Also, if hisweapon is ready and there's a

Chapter 4: Combat Rulestarget in sight, he can fire in thecombat round before initiative isrolled.)

Only Fighters (but notpaladins or rangers) can takeweapon specialties. Such acharacter can only take one whenhe is first created, but mayspecialize in more weapons as hegains new slots.

With that in mind, let'selaborate on the use of weaponproficiencies . . .

Weapon-Group Proficiency

Moreover, let's lookrealistically at weaponproficiency. Currently, if acharacter has WeaponProficiency with Dagger/Dirk, hedoesn't have it with Knife. Hecertainly doesn't have it withShort Sword. Of course, the DMcan always decide that suchweapons are related to oneanother. If he does, then thewarrior would suffer a –1 toattack rolls with the unknownweapon instead of the –2. (Seepage 52 of the PlayersHandbook.)

Still, to be proficient inall sorts of blades, from thePlayer's Handbook andadditional blades from thisrulebook, you'd have to spendaround 14 weapon proficiencyslots, and that's too many.

So, we're making itpossible to take weaponproficiencies with whole weapongroups.

For our purposes, thereare two types of groups: TightGroups and Broad Groups.

Tight Groups

A Tight Weapons Groupconsists of a set of weapons thatare very similar in the way theyare wielded.

It costs two WeaponProficiency Slots to becomeproficient in an entire tightgroup. After paying those twoslots, the character will knowhow to use every weapon in thatgroup without the usual –2penalty for unfamiliarity (that –2is for Warriors; with otherclasses, the penalty is moresevere, as described on page 52in the Player's Handbook).

Following are severalexamples of Tight Groups. Anyweapon marked with an asterisk(*) is a weapon described in TheComplete Fighter's Handbook, inthe Equipment chapter.

Axes:Battle axe,Hand/throwing axe.

Bows:Composite long bow,Composite short bow,Daikyu*,Long bow,Short bow.

Clubbing Weapons:Belaying pin*,Club,Footman's mace,Horseman's mace,Morning star,Warhammer.

Crossbows:Hand crossbow,Heavy crossbow,Light crossbow.

Fencing Blades:Dagger/Dirk,Knife/Stiletto*,Main-gauche*,Rapier*,Sabre*.

Flails:Footman's flail,Horseman's flail.

Lances:Heavy horse lance,Light horse lance,Jousting lance,Medium horse lance.

Long Blades:Bastard sword,Katana*,Long sword,Scimitar,Two-handed sword.

Medium Blades:Cutlass*,Khopesh,Wakizashi*.

Picks:Footman's pick,Horseman's pick.

Polearms:Awl pike,Bardiche,Bec de corbin,Bill-guisarme,Fauchard,Fauchard-fork,Glaive,Glaive-guisarme,Guisarme,Guisarme-voulge,Halberd,Hook fauchard,Lucern hammer,Mancatcher,Military fork,Naginata*,Partisan,Ranseur,

Chapter 4: Combat RulesSpetum,Tetsubo*,Voulge.

Short Blades:Dagger/Dirk,Knife/Stiletto*,Main-gauche*,Short sword/Drusus*.

Slings:Sling,Staff Sling.

Spears:Harpoon,Javelin,Long Spear*,Spear,Trident.

Whips:Scourge,Whip.

You'll notice there's alittle overlap between theFencing Blades and Short Bladesgroup; some weapons arecommon to both groups.

You'll also notice thatsome groups don't look like theysave you any weapon proficiencyslots. The Axes, Flails, Picks,Sickles, Slings, and Whips groupall have two weapons each inthem. Since a tight group coststwo proficiency slots, it appearsthat there's no savings. Which istrue . . . unless, in yourcampaign, other weapons relatedto those groups are developed orintroduced. If they are—if, forinstance, a medium-sized war-axe appears in the campaign—then the character with the groupproficiency will be able to use itat no penalty, while the characterwith proficiency in just the twoexisting axes will suffer the

attack penalty.These categories are very

close to the related weapongroups described from page 52of the Player's Handbook, andyour DM can, if he wishes, usethese categories as relatedgroups. This helps determinewhether or not a warrior gets thefull attack penalty when he usesa weapon unfamiliar to him, orwhether he receives only half thepenalty for using one similar to aweapon with which he hasproficiency.

Broad Groups

A Broad Weapon Groupconsists of a set of weapons thatare somewhat similar in the waythey are wielded.

It costs three WeaponProficiency Slots to becomeproficient in an entire broadgroup. After paying those threeslots, the character will knowhow to use every weapon in thatgroup without the usual penaltyfor unfamiliarity.

Following are severalexamples of Broad Groups. Asbefore, any weapon marked withan asterisk (*) is a weapondescribed in The CompleteFighter's Handbook, in theEquipment chapter.

Blades:Bastard sword,Cutlass*,Dagger/Dirk,Katana*,Khopesh,Knife/Stiletto*,Long sword,

Main-gauche*,Rapier*,Sabre*,Scimitar,Short sword/Drusus*,Two-handed sword,Wakizashi*.

Cleaving/CrushingWeapons:Battle axe,Belaying Pin*,Club,Footman's mace,Footman's pick,Hand/throwing axe,Horseman's mace,Horseman's pick,Morning star,Warhammer.

Pole Weapons:Awl pike,Bardiche,Bec de corbin,Bill-guisarme,Fauchard,Fauchard-fork,Glaive,Glaive-guisarme,Guisarme,Guisarme-voulge,Halberd,Harpoon,Hook fauchard,Javelin,Lucern hammer,Long Spear*,Mancatcher,Military fork,Naginata*,Partisan,Ranseur,Spear,Spetum,Tetsubo*,Trident,Voulge.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesSmall Throwing

Weapons:Dagger/Dirk,Dart,Hand/throwing axe,Knife/stiletto*,Shuriken*.

Again, you'll see someoverlap between the SmallThrowing Weapons group andother groups.

These groups may not beused to calculate weaponsimilarity for determiningwhether a character receives thefull or partial attack penalty forusing an unfamiliar weapon.

Non-Groups

Finally, the followingweapons do not belong in anysort of group whatsoever. Tolearn any of these weapons, thecharacter must spend a weaponproficiency slot on it, and noneof these is similar in use to anyother weapon. When a characterpicks one up and uses it withoutbeing proficient in it already, hesuffers the full penalty.

Weapons Not BelongingTo Any Group:Arquebus,Blowgun,Bola*,Chain*,Gaff/hook*,Lasso,Net,Quarterstaff/Bo stick*,Nunchaku*,Sai*.

Special Note: TheCestus* doesn't require anyProficiency. It enhancespunching damage, and everyoneknows how to punch.

Weapon Specialization andWeapon Groups

Although it is possible tobecome proficient in an entiregroup of weapons, this doesn'tmean a character can specializein an entire group of weapons.

As before, each weaponspecialization costs one WeaponProficiency Slot in a weapon thecharacter is already proficient in.A character can't pay two pointsto be proficient in the FencingBlades group and then anothertwo to specialize in the samegroup: He'd have to take one-slotSpecializations individually forDagger/Dirk, Knife/Stiletto,Main-gauche, Rapier, and Sabre.

Let's say a characterwants to know how to use everytype of blade ever made . . . buthe wants to be especially goodwith the Long Sword. As a first-level Warrior, he receives fourWeapon Proficiency Slots to startwith. He spends three to takeProficiency with the entireBlades broad group, and spendshis fourth to specialize in LongSword. He has his wish: He canpick up and use any bladeweapon without penalty, but isparticularly adept with the LongSword.

Similarly, a charactermight wish to be proficient withall bows, and especially goodwith the Composite Long Bow.

He spends two weaponproficiency slots to be proficientwith the entire Bows tight group,and spends two more slots(because it is more difficult tospecialize in bows; see thePlayer's Handbook, page 52) tospecialize in Composite LongBow. This character is at adisadvantage with any sort ofweapon other than bows, but canuse all bows, and is especiallygood with the Composite LongBow.

Note

That's all you need toknow now about the use ofWeapon Proficiencies . . . asthey're used to buy proficiencyand specialization with weapons.But there are more things to usethese proficiencies on, as you'llsee as you proceed through thechapter.

Ambidexterity

If a player wants hischaracter to be ambidextrous, asdescribed above under "Off-Hand Weapons Use," he mustdevote one weapon proficiencyto Ambidexterity.

If he does so, he'll be ableto fight normally with bothhands, and will be equally adeptat non-combat tasks with bothhands.

This doesn't give him twoattacks per round. It just meansthat if he loses the use of onehand, or drops the weapon in thathand, he'll be equally adept withthe other.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesStyle Specialization

You can use WeaponProficiencies to specialize incertain styles of fighting, such astwo swords, two-handedweapon, and so on. We describehow to do this below, under"Fighting Styles."

Punching and WrestlingSpecialization

As you can specialize incertain weapons, you can alsospecialize in Punching andWrestling. You already knowabout Punching and Wrestlingfrom the Player's Handbook,pages 97-98; here, you'll learnhow to improve a character'sPunching and Wrestling abilities.You'll find this informationbelow, under "Punching,Wrestling, and Martial Arts."

Martial Arts

Additionally, you'll learnhow make your characterproficient (or even a specialist)in eastern-style martial arts.These rules work like theexisting Punching and Wrestlingrules, but constitute a whole newset of maneuvers and tactics askilled fighter character can usein combat. These rules, too,you'll find below under"Punching, Wrestling, andMartial Arts."

Fighting Styles

It gives a campaign morecolor when the warriors fightwith different styles. A hugewarrior-knight wielding agreatsword looks and fights a lotdifferently from a slender fencercarrying a rapier and main-gauche.

Below, we'll describeseveral common combat styles . .. and the interesting things youcan do with them by taking aStyle Specialization.

All these Fighting Stylesrefer to fighting with meleeweapons only. None of themapplies to missile weapons.

The Four Fighting Styles

There are four commonFighting Styles employed byanyone using a melee weapon.They are:

Single-Weapon Style:The character wields a weaponin one hand and carries nothingin the other hand. The weaponcan be as short as a Dagger or aslong as a Bastard Sword or LongSpear.

Two-Hander Style: Thecharacter wields a weapon whichrequires (or at leastaccommodates) the use of twohands. Such weapons includethose which require two hands(Two-Handed Sword, Polearms,and Quarterstaff, for instance)and those which can be usedone-and two-handed (BastardSword and Spear, for example).

Weapon and ShieldStyle: The character wields a

weapon in his good hand andcarries a shield on his off-hand.This combination can vary froma street-bravo's choice of daggerand small buckler to the classicknight's choice of long swordand body shield.

Two-Weapon Style: Thecharacter wields one weapon ineach hand. Unless both weaponsare Small (S on the Size columnon the Weapons chart), theweapon in the character's off-hand must be lighter in weightthan his primary weapon. Thischaracter can vary from a street-thief wielding two identicaldaggers, to a fencer using arapier in one hand and a main-gauche in another, to a heavily-armored warrior with a longsword in one hand and a shortsword in the other. Note: Readthe Player's Handbook, page 96,for the rules on Attacking withTwo Weapons.

All Warriors start playknowing how to use all fourstyles. Priests start play knowinghow to use Single-Weapon, Two-Hander, and Weapon and Shieldstyles. Rogues start playknowing how to use Single-Weapon, Two-Hander, and Two-Weapon styles. Wizards startplay knowing how to use Single-Weapon and Two-Hander styles.Characters cannot learn newstyles after they're created; theseare the styles they are limited toby their choice of character class.

A character can use aweapon style he knows with aweapon he does not know how touse. For example, wizards knowTwo-Hander style . . . so they

Chapter 4: Combat Rulescan learn to use a quarterstaff. Ifa wizard who doesn't haveProficiency with a quarterstaffpicks one up, he can still use theweapon in two hands. However,he suffers the –5 attack penaltyrequired by his unfamiliarity andhis character class.

Each style confers somebasic advantages anddisadvantages when used. Theseare described in the descriptionsof each individual style, below.Additionally, characters canspecialize in these styles. Single-class warriors can eventuallyspecialize in all of them; otherclasses can only specialize in onestyle.

Specializing In the Styles

You take a StyleSpecialization by devoting oneweapon proficiency slot to afighting style.

Guidelines

To use a StyleSpecialization with a specificweapon, you must have weaponproficiency with that weapon.For example, a character mighthave bought Style Specializationwith Two-Hander Style. If he hasWeapon Proficiencies withpolearms, he can use the benefitsof Style Specialization wheneverhe uses polearms. But if hedoesn't also have proficiencywith Two-handed Sword, andpicks one up to use it, he doesn'tget the benefits of Two-HanderStyle Specialization with thatweapon.

You can have both aWeapon Specialization and aStyle Specialization in the sameweapon, but neither is dependenton the other; you can have onewithout the other. For example,a character could haveProficiency with Sabre,Specialization with Sabre, andthen Style Specialization inSingle-Weapon style; he'd be amaster fencer with the sabre. Or,he could have just Proficiencyand Specialization in Sabre, orjust Proficiency in Sabre andStyle Specialization in Single-Weapon style.

Multiple Style Specializations

A single-class Warriorcan take more than one StyleSpecialization. Weapons such asBastard Sword, Javelin, andSpear, which can be used one-handed or two-handed, with orwithout a shield, can have up tofour different StyleSpecializations taken for them.

Example: A single-classWarrior has Proficiency withBastard Sword. He couldtheoretically take Single-WeaponStyle Specialization, Two-Hander Style Specialization,Weapon and Shield StyleSpecialization, and Two-WeaponStyle Specialization with it.Between fights, or even in thecourse of the fight, he couldchange the way he uses hisweapon in order to gain differentadvantages in the course of acombat.

Limitations on StyleSpecialization

A character may beginplay with only one StyleSpecialization. If he is asingleclass Warrior, may learnothers as he gains new WeaponProficiencies throughexperience.

Only Warriors, Roguesand Priests can buy StyleSpecializations. Only Warriorsand Rogues can buy the Two-Weapon Style Specialization.Only single-class Warriors canever learn more than one StyleSpecialization.

Below are descriptions ofthe four Fighting Styles.

Single-Weapon Style

Single-Weapon stylemeans that the character wields aone-handed weapon in one handand nothing in the other. Thoughin real life this type of weaponuse is often at a disadvantagecompared to many of the others,it's very popular in film andfiction . . . and so it has somevirtue in the game.

Advantages

The advantage of single-weapon style in the AD&D®game is that the character keepsa hand free for grappling, forswitching weapons, for surprisemaneuvers, for whatever comesalong in the course of combat.

For instance, two fightersare going at it, and one pins theother's weapon (see Pin, below,

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesunder "Melee Maneuvers"), thesingle-weapon fighter can use hisfree hand to perform punchingmaneuvers; and he can try toperform barehanded maneuvers(below, under "Punching,Wrestling, and Martial Arts").

Disadvantages

The main disadvantage tothis style is that the characterdoes not gain the benefit of ashield's AC bonus.

Style Specialization

If the character devotes aweapon proficiency to StyleSpecialization with Single-Weapon Style, he gets a +1 ACbonus when using any one-handed weapon (for which hehas proficiency) in Single-Weapon Style. He doesn't get thebonus if he carries a shield orweapon in his off-hand.

Additionally, he candevote an extra proficiency toSingle-Weapon Style and have atotal +2 AC when fighting in thisstyle. That's the limit, though: Hecannot devote more than twoproficiencies (for a total of +2AC) with Single-Weapon Style.

Two-Hander Style

Two-Hander Styleinvolves carrying and wielding aweapon with both hands.Naturally, many weapons(including polearms, the greataxe, the two-handed sword, andothers) require two-handedtechnique. Other weapons (such

as bastard sword, javelin, andspear) have it as a listed option.(Two-handed options forHarpoon, Javelin, Long Spear,Spear, and Trident are given inthe Equipment section of thisrulebook, not in the Player'sHandbook.)

Advantages

The main advantage oftwo-handed weapon technique isthat it allows the character towield large two-handed weaponswhich can do substantialamounts of damage.

A second advantage isthat, if you are using a two-handed weapon, the Disarmmaneuver (see "MeleeManeuvers," below) is only ofpartial use against you.

A single successfulDisarm against a two-handedweapon user won't knock theweapon out of the wielder'shands; it will merely knock hisweapon askew and make himtake some time to recover, so heautomatically loses initiative onhis next round.

However, two Disarmmaneuvers successfully madeagainst the character in the sameround will knock the weaponloose.

Disadvantages

As with single-weaponuse, two-handed weapontechnique has the drawback thatthe user cannot wear or use ashield, or gain the shield's ACbonus.

Style Specialization

You can, by devoting aweapon proficiency to it, take aStyle Specialization with Two-Hander Style.

Style Specialization withTwo-Hander Style gives you avery specific benefit: Whenyou're using a weapon two-handed, that weapon's SpeedFactor is reduced by 3.

For example, a fighterwith Two-Hander StyleSpecialization and wielding aBastard Sword can wield hisweapon faster in two-handedstyle than in one-handed style.Used in one hand, the BastardSword has a Speed Factor of 6.In two hands (normally), it has aSpeed Factor of 8. But used intwo hands by someone withTwo-Hander StyleSpecialization, it has a SpeedFactor of (8–3) 5.

This is because when afighter wields such a weaponwith both hands on the hilt, hehas more leverage on the bladeand can move it faster. That'swhat Style Specialization inTwo-Hander Style will do for thecharacter: It teaches him how touse the weapon much faster andmore aggressively than someonewith less specialized training inthe weapon.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesOne-Handed Weapons UsedTwo-Handed

Some players don'trealize that many other one-handed weapons can also beused two-handed. Since theseweapons don't do any moredamage two-handed, thereusually isn't much reason to usethem this way; however, withStyle Specialization in Two-Hander Style, now there's areason.

If you specialize in Two-Hander Style and then use a one-handed weapon in two hands,you also get a bonus of +1 todamage. Thus, if you take a Two-Hander Style Specialization,when using a long sword two-handed, you do 1d8+1 damageinstead of the base 1d8 (or1d12+1 vs. large targets, insteadof the base 1d12).

The one-handed weaponswhich can be used two-handed inthis fashion include: Battle axe,Club, Footman's flail, Footman'spick, Horseman's flail,Horseman's mace, Horseman'spick, Morning star, Long sword,Warhammer.

Weapon and Shield Style

This is the classictechnique of using a one-handedweapon and carrying a shield onthe other arm.

Advantages

The principal advantageof Weapon and Shield Style isthat you get the AC bonus of a

shield; this is especially goodwhen you can find a magicalshield which confers a better ACbonus.

A second advantage isthat the character can use theShield-Rush maneuver (below,under "Melee Maneuvers").

Disadvantages

The disadvantage toWeapon and Shield Style is thatthe left arm (right arm, for left-handed characters) is dedicatedto the shield and is not much usefor anything else. If the characteris disarmed, all he has to wieldoffensively is his shield, until hecan get back to his weapon. If heis pinned in combat, he can't usehis shield hand for grappling.

Style Specialization

If you devote a weaponproficiency slot to specializationin Weapon and Shield Style, youreceive one extra attack perround . . . only when using ashield on the shield-hand, that is.You can use that extra attackonly for the Shield-Punch andParry maneuvers (see under"Melee Maneuvers," below).

As with the normal"Attacking with Two Weapons"rules (see the Player'sHandbook, page 96), whenstriking with both hands in asingle combat round, thecharacter suffers a –2 to attackrolls with his weapon and a –4 toattack rolls with the Shield-Punch or Parry. (If you'reambidextrous, as described

above under "Off-Hand WeaponsUse," that's a –2 with weaponand –2 with shield.) If youdevote a second weaponproficiency slot to Weapon andShield Style Specialization, thatpenalty drops to with the weaponand –2 with the shield. (If you'reambidextrous, that penalty is 0with weapon and 0 with shield.)

On any round when youperform two maneuvers, you donot get the AC bonus for theshield for the rest of the round. Ifyou swing your sword andperform a Shield- Punch in thesame round, you do not get yourshield's AC bonus if anyoneattacks you later in the round.

Two-Weapon Style

With this popular style,the fighter has a weapon in eachhand—usually a longer weaponin his good hand and a shorterone in his off-hand. Unless thecharacter has StyleSpecialization in this style, thesecond (off-hand) weapon mustbe shorter than the primaryweapon.

Advantages

One great advantage tothis style is that you always haveanother weapon in hand if youdrop or lose one. A singleDisarm maneuver cannot rid youof your weapons.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesDisadvantages

The principaldisadvantage to this style, aswith some other styles, is thatyou don't gain the AC benefit ofa shield.

Style Specialization

Please read the"Attacking with Two Weapons"section from the Player'sHandbook, page 96, beforecontinuing.

If you devote a weaponproficiency slot to stylespecialization with Two-WeaponStyle, you get two importantbenefits. First, your attackpenalty drops; before, it was a –2with your primary weapon and –4 with your secondary, but withSpecialization in Two-WeaponStyle it becomes 0 with yourprimary weapon and a –2 withyour secondary weapon. (Ifyou're already ambidextrous, asper "Off-Hand Weapons Use,"above, that penalty is 0 withprimary weapon and 0 withsecondary weapon.) Second,you're allowed to use weapons ofthe same length in each hand, soyou can, for example, wield twolong swords.

When fighting with two-weapon technique, you canchoose for both weapons to trythe same maneuver (for example,two strikes, or two disarms), orcan have each try a differentmaneuver (one strike and oneparry, one pin and one strike). Ifthe two maneuvers are to bedifferent, each receives a –1

attack penalty.Though rangers don't

suffer the off-hand penalties fortwo-weapons use, they do not geta bonus to attack rolls if theydevote a weapon proficiency slotto Two-Weapon Style. They doget the other benefit, of beingable to use weapons of equallength.

Sample StyleSpecialization

Here's an example of howa character can use the weaponproficiencies, weaponspecialization, and stylespecialization rules to becomevery dangerous and veryversatile indeed.

Berris is a 1st levelfighter, but he's already veryaccomplished with his weapon ofchoice, the Bastard Sword. Hehas taken Weapon Specializationwith the Bastard Sword (twoslots), Two-Hander StyleSpecialization with the BastardSword (one slot), and Single-Weapon Style Specialization withthe Bastard Sword (one slot).

From his weaponspecialization, he receives a +1to attack rolls and +2 to damagewhenever using a BastardSword, regardless of thetechnique he uses.

When using the weaponin Single-Weapon Style, one-handed, he gets a +1 to AC.

When using the weaponin Two-Hander Style, hisweapon's speed factor dropsfrom an 8 (normal two-handedspeed factor for the Bastard

Sword) to a 5, making it a veryquick weapon in his hands.

Style Specialization and theCharacter Sheet

Since stylespecializations give the charactercertain benefits in combat, thesebenefits need to be written downon your character sheet.

The character sheet hasblanks for all pertinent notes.For example, with the Berrischaracter mentioned just above,the character sheet wouldinclude blanks with the followinginformation:

Special Abilities andRestrictions:

+1 to hit+2 damage Bastard Sword,+1 AC used Single-Hand,Speed Factor 5 used Two-Handed

Weapon Proficiency SlotsAvailable: 4

Prof w/Bastard Swd: 1Spec w/Bastard Swd: 1Single-Weapon Style: 1Two-Hander Style: 1

Melee Maneuvers

Strike and counter-strike,strike and counter-strike: That'sthe formula for dull, mechanicalcombat, and it's no way to runthe sort of swashbuckling,action-packed combat whichshould be the backbone of yourAD&D® game adventures.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesSo here, we'll be

describing all sorts of differentcombat maneuvers which yourcharacters can perform incombat.

These maneuvers aren'tlimited to warrior-classes alone.Anyone can perform any of thesemaneuvers, provided he has theright weapon or equipment. Anypriest with a shield can perform aShield-Punch or Shield-Rush;any rogue or mage with a goodattack can Disarm a foe. Butwarriors will be performing thesemaneuvers most often.

Each of these maneuvers,when used in combat, constitutesone Attack. Characters withmultiple attacks per round canmix and match their maneuvers.A character with two attacks perround could perform one Strikeand one Parry, for example, oneCalled Shot and one Disarm, onePin and one Grab, two Strikes,two Parries, or whatevercombination he wanted.

Called Shots

Take a look at ChapterNine of the Dungeon Master'sGuide, page 58.

As you'll see in thoserules, when you wish to make aCalled Shot, you announce thisbefore initiative is rolled, andyou receive a +1 penalty to yourinitiative. Then, when your turncomes up in combat, you suffer a–4 penalty to your attack roll.Naturally, you can take CalledShots with melee, thrown, andmissile weapons, and even withweapon-like spells such as

magic missile.Called Shots can be used

for a variety of purposes. Themost important of these are:Disarming a weapon; striking aspecific body part; smashingsomething being held; bypassingarmor; and special results.

Disarming a weaponwarrants its own maneuver, soyou'll find "Disarm" below.

Striking A Specific Body Part

As it mentions in theDMG, again under "Hitting aSpecific Target," the normalAD&D® game is not gearedtoward a hit-location systemwhich chronicles where everyblow lands and which body partsget injured. We'll be presentingsome options for that sort ofthing later in this chapter, butthis section concerns somethingslightly different.

Monsters often have bodyparts or features withextraordinary or magical effects;examples include the eyes of thebeholder, tentacles of the carrioncrawler, individual heads of thechimera, and so on. Manyanimated statues are motivatedby a medallion, inscription, orimbedded gem.

A hero can take a calledshot to attack those veryspecialized locations; this is avery heroic thing to do. It's up tothe DM to determine how muchdamage such body parts cantake; some will take as little as 1point of damage before beingdestroyed, while others may beexpressed in fractions of the

creature's normal hit point total.

Smashing Something BeingHeld

Often, an enemy will beholding something and a herowill not wish him to hold on toit. If the attacking characterwishes to knock it out of hishand, that's the Disarmmaneuver; if he wishes todestroy it in the opponent's hand,that's Smashing SomethingBeing Held.

If an alchemist is holdinga bottle of flammable liquid tohurl at the party, it's very heroicto swing a sword or throw aknife and smash it while he holdsit up to throw: With one blow,you've protected your friendsand immolated an evil enemy. Ifa demonic foe has finally gottenhis hands on the Cursed Wand ofAnti-Life, it's more thanappropriate to fire an arrow orquarrel and smash it in thedemon's hands.

Again, the DM decideshow many points it takes tosmash such things. In the case ofa vial of liquid, it's not much—one or two at most.

Bypassing Armor

This option is not presentto let heroes bypass or ignore theAC value of normal armor. Ifthat were allowed, all PCs andall monsters would be using theCalled Shots maneuver almostexclusively, which would bevery annoying.

No, the Bypassing Armor

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesoption is used when the DM hasintroduced a monster or enemywhich can't be beaten any wayexcept through the discovery andexploitation of its "weak spot."Like Talos, the invulnerablebronze man of Greek myth, thesemonsters are impossible todamage (this is usually expressedas a monstrous AC and aninvulnerability to any but themost powerful of magicalweapons—+4 or better);however, each one has a weakspot.

These weak spots arealways visible to the eye, if thehero thinks to look for it and cansee the body part where it is.(For example, a dragon mightnot want to fly; this is so that itcan keep its wings folded downover its unarmored spots.) Aclever warrior will realize thatit's covering up for somethingand try to trick it into moving itswings.

If a hero is bright enoughto look for the weak spot, andperhaps trick a monster intoshowing the weak spot, thewarrior can then take a CalledShot and hit it. He'll do themonster great damage (orperhaps kill it outright; that's forthe DM to determine).

Examples: A dragonwhich has invulnerable hide (butwhich, suspiciously, never opensits mouth to breathe flame . . .because its inner mouth is notarmored); a mechanical manwith a small, nearly-invisibleslot used by the inventor to openit up (but which a hero with aknife can use to damage its

internal machinery); a warriorwith armored skin but anunarmored ankle; a mummywhich keeps one arm crossedover its chest to protect itsotherwise undefended heart; a 9'high golem whose weak spot isthe unseen top of its head.

Again, this only workswhen the DM has created amonster which can (or must) bedefeated in this very way. If afight isn't going the characters'way but the characters aregradually doing damage to themonster, then the monsterprobably isn't one of theseinvulnerable-beasts-with-weak-spots, and it's pointless to takelots of called shots at randombody parts "just in case."

Special Results

Finally, the Called Shotcan be used for a variety ofspecial results, especially neatand interesting results such asthe ones you see in movies andfiction. Examples:

Carving Initials IntoSomeone. Each successfulCalled Shot will enable acharacter with a sharp blade toslice one letter or initial into atabletop, a wall—or the flesh ofan opponent. This does only onepoint of damage, and has one oftwo results: Against an enemy ofequal or lower level or influence,it can cause the enemy to losemorale or surrender (DMchoice); against an enemy ofequal or higher level orinfluence, it will be consideredsuch an insult that this enemy

will not rest until you are dead.Thus, it is best performed againstenemy minions to impress andscare them, to persuade them torun away or help you. Performedagainst enemies who are yourequal in ability or status, thismaneuver merely earns you a foefor life.

Cutting Buttons Off.Each successful Called Shot willenable a character to snip off onebutton, brooch, gem or othersartorial element from anenemy's outfit. It can also beused to flip a necklace offsomeone's head, spring the catchon a bracelet, etc. This has thesame good effects as carvinginitials into someone, but willnot earn you the enmity of anopponent who is your equal.

Stapling. This classicmaneuver is best performed witha thrown knife or with an arrowor quarrel, though it can beperformed with sharp meleeweapons. The target must benear some piece of furniture orwall, and that furniture or wallshould be wood, plaster, or anyother material that such aweapon will penetrate. With asuccessful Called Shot, youstaple some item of the target'sclothing (your choice) to thatnearby surface. The target mustspend a combat round gettinghimself free. (This does notrequire any sort of roll; it justtakes a few moments to pull theknife free, tear the cloth of hisgarment, whatever it takes.) Ifsomeone attacks him while he ispinned, he suffers a –2 penalty toAC (i.e., a 3 becomes a 5) and

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesattacks. If the target is stapledand must defend himself whiletrying to tear himself free, hesuffers those AC and attackpenalties but will be able to tearhimself free after a total of threerounds.

Hostage-Taking. If acharacter successfully grabs avictim during one round (see theGrab maneuver, below), he mayuse a Called Shot on his nextround to put his dagger to thehostage's throat. This does nodamage to the hostage, but theattacker can then, at any time,drive the knife home for twicenormal damage (which he willprobably do if the hostage doesnot surrender, or if someone elsehe is threatening does notsurrender.)

Disarm

The Disarm is a specificvariation on Called Shots. Withthe Disarm, the attacker takes aCalled Shot at the weapon histarget is currently using.

Disarm vs. Single-HandedWeapons

With the basic Disarmmaneuver, the attacker followsthe normal rules for Called Shots(announcing his intention beforeinitiative and receiving a +1modifier to initiative, and thensuffering a –4 attack penalty); ifhis attack is successful, he will(normally) cause his enemy'sweapon to go flying from hisenemy's hand.

Roll 2d6. The numberrolled is the number of feet theweapon flies. Roll 1d6. Thenumber rolled determines whichdirection the weapon goes. (Thisis described in terms of theattacker's facing. Straight Aheadmeans straight ahead from theattacker; Behind means behindthe attacker.

1 = Straight Ahead2 = Ahead, Right3 = Behind, Right4 = Straight Behind5 = Behind, Left6 = Ahead, Left

This Disarm can also beused on magic wands, crystalballs, and any other sort ofmagical apparatus which is heldin one hand. If the item is worn(like jewelry), it cannot beDisarmed. (Note: Weapons,when used, cannot be worn likejewelry.)

Disarm vs. Two-HandedWeapons

Disarm does not worknearly so well against two-handed weapons. If you performa Disarm against a wielder of atwo-handed weapon (includingmagical staves), it merely knocksthe weapon out of alignmentbriefly; the weapon's wielderautomatically loses initiative onthe next round. However, twoDisarms made against thewielder in the same round willknock the weapon free; roll only1d6 to see how many feet it flies,

and 1d6 to see which direction itgoes.

Naturally, the two Disarmmaneuvers don't have to comefrom the same character. Twocharacters can work together todisarm the two-handed wielder;or, one character with multipleattacks in a round can do the jobhimself.

If a character finds histwo-handed weapon partiallydisarmed, and he still has at leastone attack to perform this round,he can elect to forget about hisnext attack and may use thatattack to recover his weaponinstead.

Example: Torreth andAmstard are fighting, Torrethwith long sword and shield,Amstard with two-handed sword.Both characters have twoattacks per round. Torreth hasinitiative. He successfullyDisarms Amstard, drawing hisweapon out of line. Amstard nowhas his first attack of the round.He can either punch Torreth withhis gauntleted fist, in which casehis sword will still be out of line,or he can recover from theDisarm. He chooses to recover.He swings the weapon back intoline and is ready for the nextexchange. He suffers noinitiative penalty on the nextturn.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesDisarm vs. Shields

Disarm is only of partialusefulness when struck against ashield. It won't tear the shieldloose from the wielder's arm.However, it will draw it out(knock it out of alignment, sothat the wielder is not protectedby it). For the rest of the round,the shield-wielder loses the ACbonus of the shield (and anymagical benefits, too). At thestart of the next combat round,even before initiative is rolled,the character regains his shield'sAC bonus.

If a shield has otherproperties, those stay in effect,even when the shield isDisarmed out of alignment. Forexample, let's say a shieldradiates a protection from evilspell. If it's Disarmed, and drawnout of alignment, its wielder stillgets the benefits of thatprotection from evil spell. Onlywhen he drops the shield or hasit forcibly wrested away fromhim does he lose that benefit.

As with the Disarming oftwo-handed weapons, if acharacter finds his shielddisarmed, and he still has at leastone attack to perform this round,he can elect to forget about hisnext attack and may use thatattack to recover his weaponinstead.

Example: At the start ofthe next round, Amstard's allyJeter, carrying a halberd, joinsthe fight. Torreth wins initiativeagain. He takes an ordinarystrike at Amstard and misses.Jeter chooses to Disarm

Torreth's shield +4. Hesuccessfully Disarms it. Now,Amstard takes his shot, hischances greatly improvedbecause Torreth's shield bonusto AC doesn't come into play. Hesmites Torreth with a mightyblow. Torreth has another attackthis round: Realizing that he'sgoing to get hurt if he doesn'thave his shield up, he forgetsabout a second attack and usesthat time to bring his shield backup.

Thrown-Weapon and MissileDisarms

You can perform theDisarm maneuver with thrownweapons and missile weapons.

When throwing small (S)weapons, you suffer anadditional –2 attack penaltybecause these weapons don'thave a lot of weight; it's harderfor them to knock the weaponout of someone's hands. Medium(M) or larger weapons don'tsuffer this penalty, nor doarrows, quarrels, or sling stones.

Thrown-weapon andmissile Disarms may only beperformed against single-handweapons. They automatically failvs. two-hand weapons andshields.

Expert Disarms

If you're a veryexperienced fighter, and arewilling to suffer a seriouspenalty in order to impress yourenemy, you can perform an"expert disarm" against single-

hand weapons only. This suffersthe penalty of two Called Shots:Announce intent beforeinitiative, then suffer a +2 toinitiative and a –8 to attack rolls.

But if it does hit, whenyou Disarm the weapon, you cansend it pretty much where youwant it to, within 12 feet of thetarget. If, for instance, one ofyour allies has lost his sword,and your enemy is wielding acomparable sword, you mightwish to Expertly Disarm yourenemy's sword to land right infront of your friend. Or, if you'refighting with a dagger and yourenemy has a sword you want,you might Expertly Disarm hisblade to fly up into the air; youdrop your knife and the sworddrops right into your hand.

This is an almostpreposterously heroic sort ofthing to do (it only happens inthe most swashbuckling fictionand movies, after all) so the DMmay not wish to allow this optionin a more gritty or realisticcampaign. On the other hand, hemay grant bonus XP tocharacters with the temerity totry it . . . and succeed!

Chapter 4: Combat RulesGrab

The Grab is another typeof Called Shot. To perform it,you must have at least one handfree; two hands are better ifyou're grabbing and trying tohold a person.

When performing theGrab, begin as with a CalledShot (announce before initiative,+1 to initiative, –4 to attackrolls).

If you hit, you've gottenyour hand on whatever it wasyou were trying to grab: It couldbe an enemy's weapon, animportant item you're trying toretrieve, or any such thing.

However, just becauseyou've grabbed hold of the objectdoesn't mean that you're incontrol of it. If some otherperson already has hold of theobject, he's going to strugglewith you for control.

In the same round thatyou performed the grab, roll1d20. Your opponent will do thesame.

Compare the number yourolled to your Strength abilityscore. Whichever one of yourolled better against his scorewon the tug-of-war contest.

For purposes of the Grab,all 18 scores (01–50, 51–75, etc.)are just 18. However, in case of atie, a higher-percentile 18 beats alower-percentile 18. (Forinstance, an 18/40 beats an18/30, an 18/00 beats an 18/99,etc.)

Example: Rathnar theBarbarian tries to grab the RubyOrb of Blassendom from the

hands of his enemy. Hesuccessfully rolls to attack rollsand gets his free hand on theOrb.

Rathnar is Strength 17.His enemy is Strength 15. Bothroll 1d20.

Rathnar rolls a 10. He'smade his roll by 7. His enemyrolls a 9. He's made his roll by 6.Rathnar snatches the Orb away.

If you grab somethingand then fail your Strengthability roll, then you've lost:Your enemy has snatched theobject back out of your hand.

A tie (for instance, if bothof you made your roll by 5, orboth missed it by 2, or came upwith any other identical answer)means that you re-roll, during thesame round. Treat this secondroll as if it were a second attackin the same round fordetermining when in the round ittakes place (in other words, itwill take place after all othercharacters have performed theirfirst maneuvers for the round).

However, all theseStrength rolls resulting from asingle Grab maneuver arecounted as one "attack;" if acharacter can make two attacksin a round, and his first attack isa Grab, and the grab leads to twoor three Strength rolls due tostruggling, that's all still only oneattack. The character still gets hissecond attack later in the round.

Grabbing A Person

If you're Grabbingsomeone to hold him against hiswill, you need to consult the

Wrestling rules from the Player'sHandbook, pages 97-98. Also,see below under ``Punching,Wrestling, and Martial Arts.''

If you're Grabbingsomeone and you use only onehand, you have two strikesagainst you. First, the attack istreated as a Called Shot, with theusual penalties; second, you'retreated as if your Strength abilityscore were 3 less. If you have aStrength of 15 and grab someoneone-handed, you make yourStrength roll as if you had aStrength of 12.

(Strengths of 18 aren'tautomatically dropped to a 15; itdepends on the 18 Strength'spercentile bonus. An 18/00 dropsto an 18/51. An 18/91–18/99drops to an 18/01. An 18/76–18/90 drops to a plain 18. An18/51–18/75 drops to a 17. An18/01 drops to a 16. And theplain 18 drops to a 15.)

If you use both hands,you don't have to use the CalledShot rules; you can make aWrestling attack withoutannouncing it far in advance, anddon't suffer the +1 initiative or –4 to attack penalty. Also, you getto use your full Strength score.Determine the results of yourattack as a Wrestling attack.

If your opponent has anyattacks left this combat round, hecan respond with a Wrestling,Punching, or other attack (suchas stabbing you with a shortweapon, for instance). If yourWrestling attack roll resulted in ahold of some sort (any result onthe ``Punching and WrestlingResults'' chart with a "*" beside

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesit), he has a –4 penalty to attackrolls with any attack but anotherWrestling attack. However, hecan use his attack to try to breakyour hold (using the Strength rolltactic described above, under thedescription for Grab).

Grabbing a Monster

The same rules apply tograbbing monsters . . . but thereare a couple of other things toconsider.

No Strength AbilityScore. Most monsters aren'tlisted with a Strength abilityscore. This makes comparisons alittle difficult. In general, if thesituation ever comes up, the DMshould decide for himself whatStrength a specific monster has.

Here's one rough rule ofthumb to approximate a Strengthscore: Determine how muchdamage the monster can do withits single largest attack. That'syour starting number. (In otherwords, if it does 1–8 damagewith its worst attack, you startwith the number 8.)

If the monster hasmultiple attacks, add 1 to thestarting number per extra attackthe monster has.

Add 8 to the number ifthe monster is an animal knownfor its ability to carry weight(horses, pegasi, camels) orcontains parts of such a monster(as the hippogriff does).

The DM may furtheradjust this number as he desires.

The result is a roughmeasure of the monster'sStrength. (Yes, there will be

many examples which don'tadhere well to that rule of thumb.But it's someplace to start.)

Example: The Nightmarehas attacks of 2–8/4–10/4–10.Its largest possible attack is 10(our starting number); it has twoextra attacks per round (for a +2to that starting number); it's ahorse-like animal (for a +8).Final Strength score: 20.

Size Difference. Also,the relative size of the twocombatants is important.Humans are medium-sized (M)``monsters.'' They have anadvantage when grabbing smallmonsters (such as goblins, imps,and children, for instance) and adisadvantage when grabbinglarge ones (dragons, golems andhippopotami, for example).

Treat a character'sStrength as 3 higher when he isgrabbing and struggling with asmaller monster, and 6 lowerwhen grabbing and strugglingwith a larger one. (This bonus orpenalty is halved with player-character races and demihumanNPCs. Thus, halflings, goblins,kobolds and gnomes are at a –3when wrestling with Medium-sized opponents such as humans;Dwarves, because they are soclose to human-sized, are not.Humans are at a mere +1 bonusto Strength when wrestling withhalflings, goblins, kobolds andgnomes.)

Grabbing is performedwith hands only. The charactermay be wearing gloves or eventhe Cestus described in theEquipment chapter of this book,but may not be holding any other

weapon in his Grabbing hand.

Hold Attack

This is a sort of non-attack maneuver.

The Hold Attackmaneuver is a way for acharacter to delay making hisattack until later in the combatround. It's usually performedwhen the character is hoping thatbattle circumstances will changeso that he can get a shot insomewhere that is currently toowell-defended. Archers use thismaneuver a lot, so that they cansnipe more effectively.

To perform the HoldManeuver, the character, whenit's time for him to announce hisintention, says "I'm holding mymaneuver." Combat proceeds tothe next character.

Then, once everyone hasgone in the round, as secondaryattacks are being determined, theDM again asks the characterwhat he's going to do; he cantake his action then. If he doesnot, he forfeits that attack.

Characters With MultipleAttacks

If a character already hasmultiple attacks in a round, hecan still perform the Hold Attackmaneuver with any or all of hisattacks. This can make things alittle complicated, but it's not alot of trouble.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesExample: In this fight,

Rathnar the Barbarian (who hasone attack per round), Drusillathe Spear-Maiden (who has twoper round), and Lacksley theArcher (who has three per two,and has two this round) arefighting a jungle warrior (twoattacks per round) and hismonstrous jaguar ally (threeattacks per round).

This round, Lacksleywants to shoot the jaguar; buthe's still caught in aspringloaded animal trap, andDrusilla is between him and thejaguar. The player-characterswin initiative. Drusilla uses herfirst attack to spear the junglewarrior. Rathnar uses his soleattack to swing his axe at thejaguar monster. Lacksleyannounces that he's holding hismaneuver. Now it's time for themonsters to respond; the junglewarrior attacks Drusilla with hisown spear, and thejaguarmonster jumps onRathnar and uses one of its twopaw hits.

It's time for secondarymaneuvers. Drusilla misses hersecond strike. Rathnar has nosecond strike. It's time forLacksley to act. He asks the DMif Drusilla has moved out ofposition yet, and the DM rulesthat she has. He fires, scoring ahit on the jaguar monster. Thejungle warrior stabs Drusillaagain with his second strike, andthe jaguar latches hold ofRathnar with his second pawstrike.

It's time for tertiarymaneuvers. Lacksley, because ofhis Hold Attack maneuver, nowtakes what would have been hissecondary maneuver. He shootsthe jaguar again, killing it; itrolls off Rathnar before it caninflict its third attack, a deadlybite or an even more deadlyrake.

Parry

Take a look at ChapterNine of the Dungeon Master'sGuide, page 61, at the Parryingoptional rule.

That's one way tosimulate a fighter going on thedefensive; the optional Parrymaneuver presented here is donea different way.

To perform this Parry,you must announce beforeinitiative is rolled that you'regoing to Parry. (If you have morethan one attack per round, youmust announce how many ofthem are going to be Parries.)

Then, during the round,the first time an attacker strikesat you (even if it's before yourturn to strike), you roll yourParry. Roll to attack rolls yourattacker, and roll vs. his AC(including all bonuses for shield,magical items, etc.). You can useyour weapon at its normalchance to attack rolls, or yourshield at a +2 to your chance toattack rolls (plus any magicalbonus the shield confers). If youhit, his attack is parried and doesyou no damage.

You can Parry thrownweapons, but not missile attacks(quarrels, arrows, sling stones,magic missiles, etc.).

Choice of Parries

You don't necessarilyhave to Parry the very first attackmade against you . . . though thatis the simplest way to do things.If you prefer, you can choosewhich attacker you're going toParry.

Example: Amstard isfighting an ogre and its idioticgoblin jester. Before initiative isrolled, he announces that he'll beusing one of his two attacks toParry.

The NPCs win initiativeand attack. The jester attacksfirst. Amstard announces thathe's not Parrying this attack.The jester hits him, doingminuscule damage. Then theogre attacks. Amstard announcesthat he is Parrying this attack.The ogre rolls an attack, andsucceeds; Amstard rolls toattack, and succeeds in Parryingthe attack.

Then, it's the player-characters' turn. Amstard stillhas an attack left, and so swingsat the ogre.

If a character Holds hisParry, anticipating that someother attacker will swing at him,but that attack never materializes(for example, because thatspecific opponent wentsomewhere else), and he's stillsuffering attacks this round, hecan use that Parry against one ofthese other attacks. He may not,

Chapter 4: Combat Ruleshowever, apply it against anattack that has already takenplace.

Polearm Parries

If you're wielding apolearm, you can parry an attackfrom another character wieldinga polearm, even if that characteris attacking someone else. To dothis, you must be within rangeeither of that attacker or hisintended victim.

Example: Amstard iswielding a halberd from behindthe shield-wall his friends areholding. Amstard announces,before initiative, that he'll useone of his attacks for a Parryand the other for an attack. Afterinitiative, an NPC with a glaivetakes a swing at Drusilla.Though the glaive-wielder is outof Amstard's range, Drusilla isright in front of Amstard, easilywithin his range. Amstard rollshis Parry, rolling against theglaive-wielder's AC, and hits; heparries the attack. When it's timefor the PCs to attack, Drusillaputs the glaive-wielder downand Amstard swings his halberdagainst another enemy.

Missile Weapon Parries

In desperate situations, acharacter can parry with amissile weapon he is holding(bow, crossbow, or staff sling,but not sling). If he is successfulwith his parry, though, hisweapon is ruined; the enemy'sattack has destroyed it. He maycontinue parrying with it until it

is completely destroyed (rulesfor destroying weapons andarmor appear in the Equipmentchapter of this book), but it maynever again be used for itsoriginal purpose.

Parrying from the DMG

Even if you use this Parrymaneuver, you can still use theParrying option from theDungeon Master's Guide, page61.

Incidentally, since theDMG's Parrying counts againstall attacks coming in on thefighter that round, the fighterneeds to announce, beforeinitiative is rolled, that he isperforming the Parryingmaneuver for the AC bonus.

Pin

With the Pin maneuver,you move close to your enemy(right up in his face) and useeither a weapon or your shield topin, or trap, his weapon—usuallyby pressing it against him so thathe can't move.

This is like a Called Shot,except that you don't have toannounce it before initiative andyou don't suffer a +1 to initiative.You do still suffer the –4 attackpenalty.

If you successfully hit,the victim can't use his pinnedweapon until the pin is broken,and you can't use your pinningweapon or shield until the pin isbroken.

When the pin is firstperformed, the victim gets one

chance to struggle, using aStrength roll exactly as describedfor the Grab maneuver, above. Ifhe succeeds, he yanks theweapon free; if he has attacksleft this round, he can use all ofthem. If he fails, the weaponremains pinned for the rest of theround; the victim loses one of hisattacks for the round (if he onlyhad one, he's out of luck untilnext round); but next round andin succeeding rounds, his firststruggle attempt each round doesnot count against his availableattacks. (Subsequent ones in thesame round do count as attacks.)

It is possible to Pinsomeone with the missileweapon you are carrying (exceptfor the ordinary Sling). While it'sbeing used to Pin, it may not beused as a missile weapon. If itwas armed (an arrow wasnocked, a quarrel was in place,or a stone was in the staff-sling'spouch), it loses that missile inthe struggle; the character mustreload it later.

Pull/Trip

This maneuver isdesigned to knock opponentsdown.

When using the Pull/Tripmaneuver, the attackerannounces his intention when it'shis turn to attack. He describeshow he's performing themaneuver to the DM, who mayrule that it's impossible.

If it is possible, though,the attacker rolls vs. the target'sAC as with any normal attack.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesThe target then rolls 1d20

against his Dexterity. If hesucceeds, he stays on his feet. Ifhe fails, he falls down. Modifiersto his Dexterity include:

+6 Target Was NotMoving

–3 Target Was Unawareof Attack

The Pull/Trip maneuveris best performed on someonewho is moving and unaware ofyou. A target who is standingstill (not walking or running) andis aware of his attacker is veryhard to knock down.

Use of Polearms

Polearms (and any otherweapons with long staff-likeelements—quarterstaves, lances,spears, etc.) are good weapons tohave when you're trying thePull/Trip maneuver.

You can Pull/Tripsomeone at the maximum rangeof your weapon, for instance,with no additional penalty toattack rolls.

You can Pull/Trip movinganimals with a polearm; this is ata –6 penalty to attack rolls if theanimal is Large (but you can'teven try it on a Large animalwithout a pole of some sort).

And, finally, they arevery useful for knocking ridersoff their mounts. With amancatcher or polearm (thoughnot with a quarterstaff, lance orspear), you can attack a mountedrider and have a good chance ofpulling him from his horse. The

Dexterity modifiers listed abovealso apply to the rider's chance tostay mounted.

Sap

Sapping someone—i.e.,hitting him over the head inorder to knock him out—is amaneuver you undertake whenyou wish to capture an enemyalive (or just incapacitate himwithout killing him).

To do this, the attackingcharacter makes a Called Shot atan additional –4 to attack rolls(so it's –8 total, plus the usualCalled Shot penalties of havingto announce your maneuverbefore initiative and suffering a+1 to initiative).

If the attack hits, thecharacter rolls ordinary damagefor the weapon. He gets a 5%chance of knockout (as per thePunching and Wrestling rules)for every point of damage hedoes, up to a maximum of 40%.

Example: Sir Amstardwants to knock out a nobleopponent rather than kill him.He attacks to Sap the opponent.Luckily, even with the –8 toattack rolls, he successfully hitshis foe. With his sword, he rolls 6points of damage. This gives hima (6x5%) 30% chance of aninstant knockout. On hispercentile dice, he rolls 42; hehas failed this time. He'll tryagain.

The damage done by Sapattacks is the same as that doneby Punching; in other words,only 25% is normal, or"permanent," damage. The other

75% is temporary, and wears offafter a short while, as we'lldiscuss later in this chapter.

When using a special ormagical weapon to perform theSap, you do not count theweapon's attack or damagebonus. You're not using theweapon the way it is meant to beused; you're hitting your targetwith the flat of the blade, withthe hilt or pommel of theweapon, etc. Therefore, thosebonuses don't count for anything.

When performed on acharacter who is asleep ormagically held, the Sapmaneuver automatically hits. Thechance for knockout goes up to10% per point of damage done,up to 80%. However, if thesubsequent percentile die-roll is81 or higher, the victim is notknocked out—he's beenawakened by the attack. (Whytry a Sap maneuver on analready-asleep target? Becauseyou may want to kidnap him orsmuggling him out of a cell andcan't risk him waking up andalerting the guards.)

The Sap maneuver canonly be performed with meleeweapons or bare hands; it cannotbe performed with missileweapons.

The Sap maneuver isusable only on Small (S) orMedium (M) monsters; it willnot work on Large (L) or biggermonsters such as dragons. Theyjust can't be knocked out withthis maneuver.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesShield-Punch

The shield-punch is avery basic maneuver. If you areusing a buckler, small shield, ormedium shield, you can use it toattack with as well as defend, byslamming it into your target'sbody.

When your turn to attackcomes, simply announce thatyou're shield-punching and makeyour attack roll. You get noattack bonus from the shield,regardless of its size or magicalenchantment.

A shield-punch does 1–3damage, plus your Strengthbonus. Once you have performeda shield-punch, you lose the ACbonus of the shield for the rest ofthe combat round from now untilyour next attack. (If you have anattack later in the round, youregain the AC bonus then; if youdon't have an attack until nextround, you regain the AC bonusat the very start of the nextround.)

This is a good maneuverto perform when you've droppedyour weapon, as it will dosomewhat more damage than abarehanded attack.

Shield-Rush

This maneuver is like acombination of the Pull/Trip andShield-Punch maneuvers.

The attacker must start atleast 10 feet away from thevictim, and must have either amedium or body shield.Basically, he runs at full speedup to his victim, slamming full-

tilt into him, hoping to injurehim or knock him down.

As with the Shield-Punch, the attacker gets no bonusto attack rolls from the shield,nor does he get the AC bonus ofhis shield from the time he startsthe maneuver until his nextattack.

If he hits, he doesdamage equal to the Shield-Punch, and the target must makea 1d20 roll against Dexterity tostay on his feet. The targetapplies these modifiers to hisDexterity:

+3 Target Was MovingToward Attacker

+3 Target Was Not Moving–3 Target Hit From Behind–3 Target Was Unaware of

Attack

As you can see, it's morereliable a knockdown than thePull/Trip.

However, the attackeralso has a chance to be knockeddown.

If he misses his roll toattack, he slams into the targetanyway, and does no damage tohis target. He must make hisDexterity ability check at a –6penalty; if he makes it, he is stillstanding, but if he fails it, he isknocked down. Either way, histarget remains standing.

Even if he succeeds in hisattack roll, he still has a chanceto fall down. The attacker rolls1d20 against his own, unadjustedDexterity. If he fails it, he fallsdown, too.

Strike/Thrust

This is the basic combatmaneuver, and is included herejust for completeness.

With the Strike/Thrustmaneuver, the attacker uses theweapon he has in hand andstrikes, swings, or thrusts it at theintended victim. If it hits, theattack does the damageappropriate to the weapon andthe attacker's Strength bonus.

"Striking" with a MissileWeapon or Thrown Weaponconstitutes firing it/throwing it atyour target. Usually, you just say"Shoot" instead of "Strike" whenannouncing your maneuver.

Surprise and Flash Maneuvers

All of these maneuvers,and the many possibilities theyprovide for characters tocustomize their fighting styles,should give you the idea that theDM should be encouraging wild,extravagant, interestingmaneuvers and styles in combat.This is a lot more entertainingthan ordinary, plodding swing vs.swing combat.

Therefore, the DMshould reward intelligent,creative efforts in combat bygranting them bonuses to attackrolls and damage.

Examples:A lightly-armored hero

with the Acrobatics nonweaponproficiency could charge a foe,then use his Acrobatics to flipover him and strike him from therear; the DM might give him abonus to attack rolls in addition

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesto striking at a part of thetarget's body that is unprotectedby a shield.

A crossbowman coulduse a Called Shot against therope holding the chandelier,causing the chandelier to comecrashing down onto the villain'shead; instead of suffering amassive attack penalty for sucha preposterous shot, the DMmight give the player an attackbonus for the surprise value ofthe attack, plus a percentagechange for knockout, as per theAttacking Without Killingsection of the Player'sHandbook.

A swashbuckler runningup a flight of stairs withguardsmen in hot pursuit couldtumble a stack of casks down thestairs behind him; the DM couldgive him a Pull/Trip maneuveragainst each one of thoseguardsmen, and even animproved chance to attack rolls,for attempting this classic move.

On the other hand, aplayer might come up with aplan or maneuver that is merelyfoolish or abusive to thecampaign. The DM can assignsuch a maneuver minuses toattack rolls and damage.

Examples:Rathnar's player decides

that if Rathnar makes faces at anorc he is fighting, then the orcwill become spooked and runaway. When Rathnar attemptsthis, the orc proceeds to makefaces right back at him, thenbegins the process of cuttingRathnar to ribbons.

Later, after some time atthe healer's guild, Rathnar is inbetter armor and is in direcombat with another orc.Rathnar decides that he'll tuckand roll between the orc's legs,stand up behind him, and cleavehim in twain from behind.However, his player has failed toconsider that Rathnar is in bulkyplate mail and knows nothingabout acrobatics. The DMassigns Rathnar a stiff penalty tohis Dexterity roll when Rathnartries the maneuver. Rathnar endsup flat on his back, bangingagainst the orc's legs with theorc looming over him, and theDM assigns the orc a bonus toattack rolls Rathnar because ofthe hero's clumsy position.

Don't Say No; DetermineDifficulty

A good rule of thumb touse, when a player-character triessomething strange or daring incombat, is this: Don't say no tohis proposal; just determine thedifficulty of the maneuver inyour head, give him a generalidea of that difficulty, and let himtry it.

An easy way to do that isarbitrarily to assign a "difficultynumber" of 1 to 10 to any specialmaneuver. Then, have thecharacter roll against whicheverof his abilities (Strength,Dexterity, etc.) that seems mostclosely to pertain to the task . . .and subtract that difficultynumber from his ability. If hesucceeds in rolling equal to orless than his modified ability, he

has succeeded in his task.Example: Drusilla wants

to try the same maneuverRathnar was going to pull. She,too, has no acrobatic training,but is in light leather armor. TheDM thinks that this will be prettydifficult for her (though not asdifficult as it was for Rathnar),and assigns the maneuver adifficulty factor of 5 if she leavesher spear behind. It'll be an 8, ifshe tries to take her spear alongon the maneuver. He tellsDrusilla's player that it isdifficult but possible, though itwill be nearly impossible if sheuses her spear. Reluctantly, shedrops the spear and pulls out ashort sword before attemptingthe maneuver.

Her Dexterity score is13; with the –5 penalty, it'smodified to an 8. On her combataction, she attempts themaneuver, and rolls 1d20against her modified Dex. Sherolls an 8, and achieves itexactly; Drusilla rolls betweenthe orc's legs, stands up behindhim, and drives the short swordhome before he knows what hithim. The DM gives her anarbitrary +4 to attack rolls forthe surprise value of themaneuver.

Someone with Acrobaticsnonweapon proficiency might beable to perform that same tuck-and-roll with no penalty, or witha penalty dictated only by thetype of armor he is wearing. Seethe "Armor Modifiers forWrestling Table" on page 97 ofthe Player's Handbook; thosemodifiers would work equally

Chapter 4: Combat Ruleswell in this situation.

Another thing to do whena maneuver will probably workautomatically if the intendedtarget doesn't see it coming, is toassign a difficulty number to thetarget's chance of seeing it. Thisdifficulty could be a penalty or abonus, depending on howobvious the maneuver is, and socould be from 1 to 10 in eitherdirection. The DM would havethe intended target roll 1d20against his modified Intelligence,and if he rolled equal to or lessthan that number, he'd see themaneuver coming and be able toavoid it. If he failed, the DMcould give the attacker ordinarychances of success, or even makethe attack an automatic success.

Example: Amstard is in astreet brawl with a big brute of awarrior; they've been punchingthe daylights out of one another,and Amstard has just beenknocked down. His playerannounces that he's trying aclassic trick: He'llinconspicuously pick up ahandful of sand and, as he'srising to return to the fight, he'lldash the sand into hisopponent's face, blinding him.

That's a reasonable trickto try. The DM decides that thebrute's chance to figure outAmstard's maneuver is directlyproportional to Amstard's finessein scooping up the sand. He tellsAmstard to roll against hisDexterity, unmodified, whenpicking up the sand—and thenumber he makes his roll by willbe the brute's difficulty numberin seeing it coming.

Amstard's Dexterity is 13.He rolls a 10 on 1d20, making itby 3. The brute's Intelligence is10; with the difficulty of 3, hismodified Intelligence is 7.Secretly, the DM rolls 1d20 forthe brute, achieving an 8; thebrute doesn't see the maneuvercoming. But Amstard's playercan't be told that until Amstardis committed to his maneuver.

Amstard now throws thesand; this counts as an attack.The DM gives him an ordinaryattack roll to succeed. Amstardsuccessfully hits vs. the brute'sAC, and now the brute istemporarily blinded . . .

That's how the thoughtprocess works, anyway. Theplayers should have theopportunity to try just about anymaneuver or approach they canimagine, and the DM shouldfigure out how likely each try isof success. Nothing should beimpossible to try just because itisn't specifically covered in therules.

Maneuvers In the Campaign

All of the abovemaneuvers and approaches canbe used in any AD&D® gamecampaign. There are a couple ofthings you should realize aboutthem.

First, they'll add a lot ofrichness of detail to your combat.Using them, you can do justabout everything in combat thatyou can imagine your characterdoing. However, the flip-side ofthat benefit is that it adds a levelof complexity to your combat;

the players and DM have to domore thinking about individualmaneuvers and combatsituations. Therefore, we don'trecommend you use thesemaneuvers until you alreadyhave a firm grasp on the combatsystem, and can run basiccombats with little or nodifficulty.

Second, they'll allow theplayer-characters to be morecolorful and efficient in combat.But the flip-side of this benefit isthat the NPCs and monsters canbe equally colorful and efficient.It will be a rude awakening forthe player-characters when theyrun across a band of evil fightersas diverse and accomplished asthey are.

Punching, Wrestling, andMartial Arts

Punching and wrestlingare described in the Player'sHandbook, page 97-98. We'llelaborate a little on those ruleshere, and introduce rules forbasic Oriental-style martial artsmaneuvers.

Specializing With Punchingand Wrestling

Though everyone has acertain knowledge of punchingand wrestling, so that everyonecan be considered to have a"weapon proficiency" you cannow Specialize in either of thetwo techniques.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesTo Specialize, you must

devote a weapon proficiency slotto the technique. Any characterof any class can Specialize inPunching or Wrestling (orMartial Arts, described later) . . .but except for the Fighting-Monk(described in The CompletePriest's Handbook, no characterother than a single-class Warriorcan ever specialize in more thanone of these techniques. Asingle-class Warrior can end upspecializing in both, but maybegin play specializing in onlyone of them.

Specialization does notcount as a WeaponSpecialization. A first-levelfighter could specialize in bothLong Sword and Punching if hewished to. A Rogue, who cannottake any Weapon Specialization,can still take one unarmedfighting style specialization.

Fighting stylespecializations (i.e., Single-Weapon, Two-Hander, etc.) donot grant any bonuses toPunching, Wrestling, or MartialArts combat. They're of use onlyto combat with melee weapons.

Normal Punching Attacks

Review the Punch rulesfrom the Player's Handbook,page 98. Remember that anormal punch does 1–2 damage(plus Strength bonus), and apunch with a metal gauntlet does1–3 (plus Strength bonus), andthat 75% of all punching damageis temporary, and wears offwithin minutes after the combatis included.

A character can pull hispunch, so that he does nodamage, or only his punchdamage (without his Strengthbonus).

Punching Specialization

If a character spends oneWeapon Proficiency onPunching, thus takingspecialization with Punching, hegains the following benefits:

He gains a +1 bonus toall his attack rolls whenpunching;

He gains a +1 bonus toall damage when punching;

He gains a +1 chartbonus with all punching attacks;

He gains one additionalpunching attack per combatround (both hands must be free,holding nothing, for thecharacter to gain this benefit);and

If the character wishes,when he pulls his punch, he canalso refuse to do the +2 damagethat specialization gives him.

The chart bonus is areflection of the character'ssuperior accuracy with punching.As you already know, when thecharacter successfully hits, theroll itself determines whichmaneuver was made; you use thechart on page 97 in the Player'sHandbook, and the attack rollalso determines the maneuverused.

But on a successful hit,the punching specialist canmodify that result. If he has achart bonus of +1, he can choose

the maneuver one higher or onelower on the chart.

Example: Sir Amstardpunches a troll. (He's recklesslybrave, after all.) He rolls a 12 toattack rolls, and this turns out tobe a successful hit. On the"Punching and WrestlingResults" chart, we see that this isa Kidney Punch, doing 1 point ofdamage, with a 5% chance forknockout. But Amstard is aPunching Specialist with a chartbonus of +1. He can chooseinstead for the result to be an 11-Hook (doing 2 points of damageand with a 9% chance forknockout), or a 13-Hook (doing2 points of damage and with a10% chance for a knockout). Hechanges the maneuver from aKidney Punch to a 13-Hook.

Only if a characterspecializes in punching and thushas a chart bonus can he affecthis punch results in this manner.

A character using aCestus does get to add thebonuses to attack rolls anddamage from PunchingSpecialization to his Cestusdamage. If he has specialized inCestus too, he can decide fromround to round which of hisbonuses he will apply this round.Additionally, you may use theCestus attack's attack roll todetermine which Punchingmaneuver was used with theattack; you still use the damagefor the Cestus instead of themaneuver, but now also have thepossibility of a knockout. Thiscan make combats with cesti alittle more complicated, so theDM may disallow this rule if he

Chapter 4: Combat Ruleschooses.

It is possible for aWarrior to continue to improvehis Punching abilities: See"Continuing Specialization,"below.

Normal Wrestling Attacks

Review the Wrestlingrules from the Player'sHandbook, page 98. Eachsuccessful wrestling move does 1point of damage (plus Strengthbonus, if the attacker desires); acontinued hold causescumulatively 1 more point ofdamage each round than theround before.

In Wrestling combat,when two characters arewrestling, each rolls to attackrolls the other—using normalattack rolls against theopponent's AC, and utilizing the"Armor Modifiers ForWrestling" table on page 97 ofthe Player's Handbook formodifiers to attack rolls.

In a single combat round,a character can performWrestling on the other character,with the normal results from thePunching and Wrestling Resultstable from that same page. OnWrestle results from that tablewhich are marked with anasterisk (*), the attacker, ifsuccessful, can maintain thathold until it's broken; use theStrength-roll rules describedabove for the "Grab" maneuverto determine when holds arebroken.

A character can pullwrestling damage; he can do no

damage, or the 1 point associatedwith each successful maneuver,or the 1 point plus Strengthbonus allowed to him, whicheverhe chooses.

As with punchingdamage, wrestling damage isalso temporary.

Wrestling Specialization

If a character spends oneWeapon Proficiency Slot onWrestling, and thus specializeswith Wrestling, he gains thefollowing benefits:

He gains a +1 bonus toall his attack rolls withWrestling;

He gains a +1 bonus toall damage with Wrestling (thatis, all his maneuvers will do 2points of damage plus hisStrength bonus, and continuedholds cause cumulatively 1 morepoint of damage for each roundthey are held);

He gains a +1 chart bonuswith all Wrestling attacks;

He gains a +2 toStrength, only for maintaining awrestling hold (i.e., a Strength 15character rolls against Strength17 when maintaining a wrestlinghold, but only for that purpose);and

When he chooses to pullwrestling damage, the charactermay also pull the +2 to damagegranted by specialization.

So if, for instance, he hasa +1 chart bonus, and rolls a 16on his attack (Elbow Smash), hecan instead choose a Trip or anArm Lock. He'll decide based onhis current situation: If it's in his

best interest to put his opponenton the ground, he'll choose aTrip, and if it's better for him tohave a maneuver that allows himto hold onto his opponent fromround to round, he'll choose anArm Lock.

It is possible for aWarrior to continue to improvehis Wrestling abilities: See"Continuing Specialization,"below.

Martial Arts

As you saw in thePlayer's Handbook, everybodyknows how to punch and wrestle.

Martial Arts, however,are another matter. Not everycharacter in a normal medieval-style campaign will know how toutilize oriental-style Martial Arts.

The Martial Artsdescribed in this section aren'tany real-world fighting style;they're a combination of"generic" martial-arts maneuversin the tradition of martial artsmovies.

These Martial Arts areonly available in a campaign ifthe DM decides that the art isavailable for characters to learn.He must first decide if he wantscharacters to be able to use thesemaneuvers in his campaign,which will tend to give thecampaign a more oriental flavor;then, if he wishes to use them, heneeds to establish a history forthese combat abilities.Customarily, they've beendeveloped by some distantcivilization, and recent tradewith that culture has brought

Chapter 4: Combat Rulessome practitioners and teachersof the art to the player-characters' society.

To learn Martial Arts atits basic level, the characterspends one Weapon Proficiencyslot on Martial Arts. Once he hasspent that slot, he can useMartial Arts in the same way thatother people use Punching andWrestling, as we'll describeimmediately below.

Martial Arts Results

At its basic level, MartialArts skill is used just likePunching and Wrestling. MartialArts combat occurs when a

character attacks with his barehands, feet, and even head. Noweapons are used. (A charactercan hold a weapon in one handand nothing in the other,attacking with his weapon oneround and with his Martial Artsskill in the next.)

As with Punching,damage from Martial Arts ishandled in a slightly differentfashion. The damage from anybare-handed Martial Arts attackis broken into two parts: 25% ofthe damage from the attack isnormal damage, while theremaining 75% is "temporary"damage. The Player's Handbookpage 98, discusses this

temporary damage, as does thischapter, in the section on"Recovery," below.

When attacking withMartial Arts skill, the charactermakes a normal attack rollagainst the normal Armor Classof the target. (If the attackingcharacter has armor on, he doessuffer the modifiers for wrestlingfrom the "Armor Modifiers forWrestling" from Table 57 onpage 97 in the Player'sHandbook.) If he hits, he doesthe damage listed from themaneuver plus any bonus fromhis Strength score.

If the attack roll issuccessful, the attacker consults

Martial Arts Results Table

Attack Martial Arts %Roll Maneuver Dmg KO20+ Head Punch 3 1519 High Kick 2 1018 Vitals-Kick 2 817 Vitals-Punch 2 516 Head Bash 2 515 Side Kick 1 314 Elbow Shot 1 113 Body-Punch 1 212 Low Kick 1 111 Graze 0 110 Body-Punch 1 29 Low Kick 1 18 Body-Punch 1 27 Knee-Shot 1 36 Side Kick 1 55 Head Bash 2 104 Vitals-Punch 2 103 Vitals-Kick 2 152 High Kick 2 201* Head Punch 3 30

* Or less

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesthe table below for the result ofthe attack. If, for instance, thecharacter rolls a 13 on his attackroll, the result is a Body-Punch,doing 1 point of damage (plusthe attacker's Strength bonus fordamage).

Descriptions of the Maneuvers

Body-Punch: This is astraightforward punch into thetarget's stomach or chest.

Elbow Shot: With thismaneuver, the attacker plants hiselbow into the target's chest,side, or stomach.

Graze: This could havestarted out as any sort ofmaneuver, but it merely grazedthe target; it wasn't landedfirmly.

Low Kick: The attackerkicks the target in the leg orthigh.

Head Bash: The attackerslams his forehead into thetarget's face, which is a stoutmaneuver.

Head Punch: This is agood, strong blow with the fist tothe enemy's head, particularly hisjaw.

High Kick: The attackerkicks the target in the upper bodysomewhere: Stomach, chest,back, or shoulder.

Knee-Shot: The attackerbrings his knee up into thetarget's stomach or thigh.

Side Kick: With thismaneuver, the attacker has timeto prepare and launch a verypowerful sideways kick (whichmay be at the end of a cinematicleap).

Vitals-Kick: The attackerkicks his target at somevulnerable point: Groin, kidney,neck, solar plexus, etc.

Vitals-Punch: Theattacker puts his fist into one ofthe vulnerable points mentionedimmediately above.

Specializing in Martial Arts

The same Specializingrules apply to Martial Arts: Oncethe character has Proficiency inMartial Arts (by spending oneWeapon Proficiency slot), he canSpecialize in it (by spendinganother).

When the characterbecomes a Martial ArtsSpecialist, he gains the followingbenefits:

He gains a +1 bonus toall his attack rolls with MartialArts;

He gains a +1 bonus toall damage with Martial Arts;

He gains a +1 chart bonuswith all Martial Arts attacks;

He gains one additionalMartial Arts attack per combatround (both hands must be free,holding nothing, for thecharacter to gain this benefit);and

He may pull his attackjust as Punching and Wrestlingcharacters do, and when he pullshis attack, he can also refuse todo the +1 damage thatSpecialization gives him.

So if he rolls a 15 toattack, and the attack hits, he has

performed a Side Kick. If heuses his +1 chart bonus, he canchange that into an Elbow Shotor a Head Bash. He'll probablychoose to change it to a HeadBash for the improved damageand improved chance ofknockout.

It is possible for aWarrior to continue to improvehis Martial Arts abilities: See"Continuing Specialization,"below.

More Than One Style

Any character canspecialize in one of the threetypes of unarmed combat(Punching, Wrestling, andMartial Arts).

A single-class Warriorcan only specialize in one of thethree unarmed combat styleswhen he is first created. Afterfirst level, however, he mayspecialize in the other two. Hecan take specialization in onlyone style each time he receives anew Weapon Proficiency, so hecould not possibly be a specialistin all three until he reaches sixthexperience level . . . and ninthlevel is more likely.

Usually, the character, ifhe wants to specialize in morethan one style, will take eitherMartial Arts or Punching, notboth, because their usefulnessoverlaps a great deal; and thenhe'll take Wrestling, becauseWrestling is useful when thecharacter is being grappled.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesContinuing Specialization

This is an option that isonly available to single-classWarriors (and to Fighting-Monks from The CompletePriest's Handbook).

If the warrior continuesto devote Weapon Proficiencyslots to an unarmed combat styleafter he is already specializingin it, he gets the followingbenefits. Note: The charactermay not take more than basicSpecialization in any of the artsat first experience level; thus, atfirst level, he may devote oneslot to Punching, or one slot toWrestling, or two slots to MartialArts, but not more than that toany of them. At third level, whenhe receives another slot, he maydevote it then to improve hisSpecialization.

For each additional slotdevoted to his art:

He gains a +1 bonus toall his attack rolls with hiscombat style;

He gains a +1 bonus toall damage with his combatstyle; and

He gains a +1 chart bonuswith all attacks in that combatstyle. With chart bonuses of +2or more, the character canchoose any maneuver within therange of maneuvers covered byhis chart bonus (see the examplebelow).

Example: Cassius theGladiator is a PunchingSpecialist. He Specialized inPunching at first level, put

another Weapon Proficiency slotinto it at third level, another atsixth, and still another at ninth.

At ninth level, he has a+3 bonus to attack rolls withPunching, a +3 to damage rollswith Punching, and a +3 chartbonus.

Let's say he rolls a 16 tohit someone, and that the attackdoes hit. This would normally bea Glancing Blow. But he has a+3 chart bonus. He can choosefor the maneuver, instead of justbeing a rolled result of 16, to beanywhere from 19 to 13. He canchoose for the maneuver to be aWild Swing, a Rabbit Punch, aKidney Punch, a Glancing Blow(as rolled), a Jab, an Uppercut,or a Hook.

Of these sevenmaneuvers, Jab and Hook do themost damage, and Hook has aslightly higher chance ofknockout success, so he choosesit. With his punch, he will do abasic 2 points for the maneuver,+3 points from the damagebonus he gets for specializing,and any bonus his Strength giveshim.

The Complete Martial Artist

If you wish to create acharacter who is principally aMartial Artist, you ought to takeother Weapon and NonweaponProficiencies which areappropriate to the classic martial-arts hero.

Almost all WeaponProficiencies are appropriate forthe character, including allswords, bows, and polearms, and

especially proficiencies with theSamurai weapons from theEquipment chapter of this book.

Nonweapon Proficiencieswhich are especially appropriateinclude: (General) Dancing,Direction Sense, (Warrior)Blind-fighting, Endurance,Running, (Rogue, double slots)Jumping, Tightrope Walking, andTumbling.

In campaigns with moreclassical and oriental elements tothe martial artists, NonweaponProficiencies such as (General)Artistic Ability, (Priest, doubleslots unless Paladin) AncientHistory, Astrology, Healing,Herbalism, Local History,Musical Instrument,Reading/Writing, Religion,(Wizard, double slots unlessRanger) Ancient History,Astrology, Herbalism,Reading/Writing, Religion.

Fighting StyleSpecializations, from thischapter, are also very appropriatefor the character.

Naturally, you won't beable to afford all these things foryour Martial Artist character,even if your DM does allow youthe Intelligence bonus for extraProficiencies mentioned earlierin this chapter. Think not abouthaving all these abilities, butabout taking specific abilities tomake the character unique,different from all the other PCs—even if they, too, areprincipally Martial Artists.

For instance, onecharacter could be aPaladin/Swashbuckler who takesWeapon Proficiency with all

Chapter 4: Combat RulesFencing Blades (two slots),Specialization with the Sabre(one slot), and Specializationwith Punching (one slot).Another character could be aRanger/Beast-Rider who takesWeapon Proficiency with allBows (two slots) and Proficiencyand Specialization with MartialArts (two slots). This way, notwo Martial Artists are likely tobe even remotely alike.

In Oriental Campaigns

If your campaign is basedin an oriental setting, you need tomake an easy change. Instead ofnormal proficiency withPunching and Wrestling beingfree, and proficiency withMartial Arts costing one slot,normal proficiency with MartialArts is free, while proficiencywith Punching and Wrestlingcost one slot each.

Barehanded Maneuvers

It's possible to use mostof the maneuvers describedabove under ``Melee Maneuvers''when fighting barehanded, eitherPunching, Wrestling, or MartialArts.

When a character wishesto perform a maneuver that's notone of the standard maneuversfor the barehanded fighting stylein question, he makes thatannouncement at the appropriatetime in the combat sequence(that is, if it's a Called Shot ofsome sort, he announces beforeinitiative; otherwise, he makesthe announcement when he's

called on for the description ofhis action for the round).

When his turn comes up,he rolls an attack roll. If he'sspecialized in a barehandedfighting style, he still gets theattack bonus for hisSpecialization. If he hits, hedoesn't do one of the maneuversfrom his fighting style; heperforms the specific maneuverhe elected. However, if he's aSpecialist, he does get thedamage bonus from his fightingstyle.

Here are examples ofhow this works with the specificMelee Maneuvers:

Called Shots: Punching andMartial Arts

A Puncher or MartialArtist can perform Called Shots,but none will do any extradamage. They can be veryeffective in combat in veryspecific situations if thecharacter is trying to performone of the standard Called Shots:Striking a Specific Body Part (asmentioned earlier, to damage abeholder's special eye, forexample), Smashing SomethingBeing Held (though the attackerrisks having the contents ofwhatever he's smashing spilledon him), and Bypassing Armor(again, this only works onmonsters where the DM hasdesigned a specific weaknessinto the monster).

A Puncher or MartialArtist can also perform a CalledShot to attack a specific HitLocation. See the text on "Hit

Locations," below. This is thesort of attack the character wantsto use if he's trying to hit anenemy in the jaw to knock himout, pound him in the solarplexus to double him over, andso on; all normal rules for HitLocations are used.

Called Shots: Wrestling

A Wrestler can take aCalled Shot in order to choosethe specific Wrestle maneuverresult he wants. If he succeeds,he does not randomly roll thewrestle maneuver which takesplace; he chooses it. This is ofspecial usefulness when he'strying to achieve a hold result.

Example: A wrestlerdecides to take a Called Shot.Before initiative is rolled, heannounces that he's taking aCalled Shot to achieve the resultof Arm Lock. He suffers theusual +1 to initiative; when histurn comes up, he suffers a –4 toattack rolls. If he hits, themaneuver result is Arm Lock,regardless of the roll.

Also, when a fighter iswrestling another character, hemight find it to his advantage tomake a Called Shot to pull theenemy's helmet down over hisenemy's eyes, blinding him for acombat round or two.

But, obviously, suchsuccesses depend heavily on thegood-will of the DM. If he thinkssuch maneuvers are more botherthan color, don't try to performthem.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesDisarm

It's possible for abarehanded fighter to disarm anarmed opponent, but it'sdangerous. When so trying, thebarehanded fighter's AC suffers apenalty of 2 (for example, a 5becomes a 7; he's having toexpose himself to attack briefly),and his Disarm attempt is at anadditional –4 to attack rolls. Butif it hits, it's just as successful asany other Disarm.

Grab

As described above, theGrab is designed for barehandeduse, and so suffers no penaltywhen the attacker is barehanded.

Hold Attack

A barehanded fighter canhold his attack with no penalty.

Parry

A barehanded fightertrying to parry a barehandedattack does so at normal odds. Aswith Disarm, it's possible, butdangerous, for a barehandedfighter to parry an attack from amelee weapon. The Parryingcharacter must suffer an ACpenalty of 2 (for the samereasons described under Disarm,immediately above), and his ACstays disadvantaged until hisnext attack comes up. Then,when performing the Parry(which usually consists ofgetting so close to the enemy thatthe Parrying character can get his

own hand under the descendingweapon-hand), the Parryingcharacter suffers an additional –2to attack rolls.

Pin

A barehanded charactercan't use the Pin maneuver to pinsomeone else's bare hand. Usethe Wrestling rules for such anattempt.

A barehanded charactercan try to use Pin to pinsomeone's weapon; use themodifiers described immediatelyabove for Parry.

Pull/Trip

A barehanded charactercan try to Pull/Trip anothercharacter with no additionalpenalty. Barehanded, thecharacter can only Tripcharacters who are adjacent tohim, and cannot Trip any Largecreature or monster.

Sap

A barehanded Sappingattack (basically, a punch to thejaw) is a classic combatmaneuver. It can be performedwith Punching and Martial Arts,but not with Wrestling. As withthe regular Sap, the barehandedfighter makes his Called Shot atan additional –4; if he hits, hedoes normal damage for hisattack, and has the normalKnockout chance of 5% perpoint of damage done.

Between the Sapmaneuver and the Called Shot

for the Head Hit Location, thecharacter has two attacks thatcan hit an enemy's head. Theyare very different, however, andso they are not redundant.

The Sap provides achance for knockout; the CalledShot to the Head doesn't.

The Called Shot to theHead has several unusualpossible results (Blindness,Knockdown, etc.); the Sapdoesn't.

And the Called Shot tothe Head can only be used if theDM allows Hit Locations in hiscampaign. If he doesn't, the Sapis all you're left with.

Shield-Punch

Since a Shield-Punchrequires the use of a shield, abarehanded character obviouslycannot perform this maneuver.

Shield-Rush

Since a Shield-Rush alsorequires the use of a shield, abarehanded character cannotperform this maneuver.

Strike/Thrust

When a barehandedcharacter tries the Strike/Thrustmaneuver, we call it a "Punch"and use the normal Punchingrules.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesHit Locations

We've said before thatthis whole book consists ofoptional systems for yourcampaign; well, this HitLocations system can beconsidered very optional.

The AD&D® gamedoesn't encourage a hit locationssystem, for the reasons given inthe Dungeon Master Guide, page72 ("Injury and Death"). Some ofyou still want one, however, soin this section we're presenting aHit Locations system that allowsyou to determine individualinjuries . . . but stays true to thegame's philosophy.

The "Numbed" and "Useless"Numbers

When using this system,the first thing to do is tocalculate your character's"Numbed" and "Useless"Numbers.

Calculate 25% (one-fourth) of your character's hitpoint total (don't count currentinjuries; this is his starting hitpoint total). Round up if thefraction is .5 or higher. On yourcharacter sheet, near the hit pointlisting, write down "Numbed"and that number. (You can alsouse the Combat Sheet included atthe end of this book.) If the resultwas 0, write down 1 instead.

Then, calculate 50%(one-half) of your character's hitpoint total. Round up if thefraction is .5 or higher. On yourcharacter sheet, also near the hitpoint listing (or on this chapter's

Combat Sheet), write down"Useless" and that number. If theresult was 1, write down 2instead.

Whenever you go up alevel and gain new hit points,recalculate those numbers.

Example: Zaross has 27hit points. His Numbed numberis 6.75 (rounds up to 7), and hisUseless number is 13.5 (roundsup to 14).

Body Locations

Now, whenever youconduct combat, do so normally.And every normal blow struck isdeducted from the character's hitpoints normally.

Every normal blow struck(that is, every blow not declaredas aimed at a specific BodyLocation) hits the character'storso (i.e., any point from hisshoulders to his hips).

However, if you take aCalled Shot, you can make yourstrike at any one of six otherBody Locations (head, two arms,two legs, and stun-points).

The Locations

These are the character's BodyLocations:

Torso: As describedabove. The Torso is hit with anynon-Called Shot.

Head: Must be hit with aCalled Shot at an additional –4 toattack rolls.

Arms (2): One right, oneleft. Must be hit with a CalledShot.

Legs (2): One right, oneleft. Must be hit with a CalledShot.

Stun-Points: This ratherbroad category includes the solarplexus and other nerve centerswhich, when struck, tend tocause the victim a lot of pain.Stun-Points must be hit with aCalled Shot at an additional –4 toattack rolls.

General Effects of Called Shots

Now, when you take aCalled Shot against one of thosespecial locations, interestingthings can happen:

If the attack's damageequalled or exceeded the victim's"Numbed" number in a singleblow, then that location isNumbed. It is useless for the restof this combat round. At the startof the next round, beforeinitiative is rolled, the characterrecovers full use of that bodypart.

If the attack's damageequalled or exceeded the victim's"Useless" number in a singleblow, then that location isinjured, and is Useless for therest of the fight. Once the fight isover (i.e., one side or the other isdefeated, surrendered, ordeparted, or the two sides arenow at peace), the characterrecovers use of the injured bodypart in 2d6 minutes—orimmediately upon its beingmagically healed up to the"Numbed" number or better.

For these effects to takeplace, remember that the attackmust have done the required

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesamount of damage in a singleblow; multiple blows don't addtogether for this purpose.

Damage from Punching,Wrestling, and Martial Arts canalso cause body parts to becomeNumbed and Useless.

A Sap attack (describedabove under "MeleeManeuvers"), regardless of howmuch damage it does, does notachieve the Numbed or Uselessresults. That maneuver attemptsan instant knockout; if theknockout fails, the victim takesonly the damage done by theattack and none of the specialbody locations results describedhere.

Specific Effects of Called Shots

You may be askingyourself, "Figuring out what auseless arm is all about is prettyeasy; but what do they meanwhen your head is useless?"

Avoiding the normalwisecracks that would resultfrom such a straight line, let'stalk about the actual effects ofthis "uselessness" for each of thehit locations.

Torso: The torso doesn'tbecome useless; the "Numbed"and "Useless" numbers have nobearing on it.

Head: When a charactertakes a Numbed or Useless resultto his head, one of the followingeffects can take place. The DM,not the player, chooses whichone. He can random-roll on 1d6,or just choose the one that hefancies most.

(1) Blindness: Thecharacter is blinded (from thepain, not injury to his eyes) untilthe Numbness or Uselessnessends. When a character is blindbut still trying to defend himself,anyone attacking him gets abonus of +4 to attack rolls. (If,for some reason, he is alsokneeling, sitting or flat on hisback, the bonuses to attack rollsare cumulative).

(2) Deafness: Thecharacter hears ringing in hisears until the Numbness orUselessness ends. The charactersuffers no combat penalty, butcannot hear orders or warningsshouted at him.

(3) Dizziness: Thecharacter is concussed and dizzy.He performs any Dexterityability rolls with a penalty of –4until the Numbness orUselessness ends. Anytime he ishit in combat for more than 2points of damage, he must makea Dexterity ability check to avoidfalling down.

(4) Knockdown: Thecharacter is knocked flat on hisbackside by the blow, but doesnot suffer any additional illeffect. His head is not reallyNumbed or Useless; as soon ashe stands up again, thedisadvantage for the Knockdowngoes away.

(5) Blindness andDeafness.

(6) Dizziness andKnockdown.

Arms (2): A Numbed orUseless arm cannot hold aweapon; the characterimmediately drops the weapon.

The character will not drop ashield strapped to the arm, butdoes not get the AC benefit ofthe shield until his arm recovers.

Legs (2): When acharacter's leg is Numbed orUseless, he must immediatelymake a 1d20 roll against hisDexterity. If he rolls hisDexterity or less, he remainsstanding (on one foot);otherwise, he flops to the ground(and is considered sitting forpurposes of striking at him). Hismovement drops to a fourth ofwhat it should be until herecovers. Every time he is hit formore than 2 points of damage, hehas to make that same 1d20 rollagainst Dexterity, and will falldown if he fails it. A Shield-Rushattack will automatically knockthis character to the ground.

Stun-Points: When acharacter has taken a "Numbed"or "Useless" attack result to astun-point, he has the windknocked out of him and has ahard time defending himself. Hismovement drops to half of whatit should be until he recovers;and his attackers are at a +2 toattack rolls him until he recovers.(This bonus is cumulative withother attacker bonuses forblindness or bad position.)

Recording These Injuries

It's simple to record theseinjuries.

You don't record thedamage separately. All the hit-point losses are applied againstthe character's normal pool of hitpoints, just as before.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesOn the Combat Sheet

provided at the end of thischapter, or on a scratch-sheet,you'll want to record any specialcombat results and how longthey're in effect. For example:"Right arm useless until combatover."

Individual Injuries andHealing Magic

When a character whohas taken a Useless result ishealed before the area recoversnaturally, then the healing magicis presumed to heal the injuredregion first. If the magic healsone-fourth of the character's hitpoints, the Useless body part isworking fine again.

Permanent and CripplingEffects

This system does notsupport any permanent damageor crippling effects, inaccordance with the generalAD&D® game philosophies.

Monsters and Hit Locations

These rules can be usedfor monsters, too, even thosewith extra limbs and body parts(extra heads, wings, tails, etc.).As with humans, it takes a"Numbed" shot (one fourth themonster's hit points in a singleblow) to numb an area for oneround, and a "Useless" shot (one-half the monster's hit points in asingle blow) to incapacitate thebody part for an entire fight.

Remember that the

"Useless" number does not meanthat the monster (or character)has 50% of its hit points investedin that body part; if it did, acreature might have more than300% of its own hit points! The"Numbed" and "Useless"numbers are just ways todetermine how much damage ittakes to incapacitate a certainbody part, and the hit pointdamage is always applied to thevictim's normal hit point score.

This System and Low-LevelCharacters

Low-level characters,with their small store of hitpoints, are comparatively easy tohurt in this system. A characterwith 10 hit points has a Numbingnumber of 3 and an Injuringnumber of 5. However, sincethese special damage results areall temporary, and add a certainamount of flavor to combats, youshould have no difficulty usingthem with characters of anylevel.

However, don't forgetthat all these special shots mustbe Called Shots. They don'tcome about because of randomdie-rolls.

Recovery

You already know howfast characters recover the use ofdamaged Hit Locations whenthose locations are Useless: Ittakes only 2d6 minutes.

But there are a couple ofother types of recovery whichneed some elaboration.

Recovery Of TemporaryDamage

As you know, damagefrom Punching, Martial Arts, andthe Sap maneuver is 25% normaland 75% temporary.

This means, whenever acharacter is sustaining damagefrom one of these attacks, hemust calculate which portion ofit is normal, "permanent"damage, which must be healedby magic or by medicine, andwhich portion is temporary,which will wear off after a while.

Recording Temporary Damage

Usually, it's too muchtrouble to calculate proportionson every attack you sustain.Instead, keep a separate track ofall damage you receive in asingle combat from Punching,Martial Arts, and Sap attacks.When the combat is over, dividethem up into Normal andTemporary damage. When youhave a fraction of .5 (or less) onthe Normal Damage result,round down; all the rest of thedamage is Temporary damage.

Example: Sir Amstard isin a boxing match with thedevastating Cassius, and isgetting the worst of it. He takesone shot for 5 points of damage,another for 6, and another for 3,and on this third shot Cassiussuccessfully rolls his Knockoutpercentage. Amstard is knockedout.

Amstard has sustained atotal of 14 points of damage.One-fourth, or 25%, of that is

Chapter 4: Combat RulesNormal Damage. That's 3.5,which we round down to 3. He'staken 3 points of NormalDamage. The remaining 11points are Temporary damage.

Recovering From TemporaryDamage

A character recovers fromTemporary Damage at a rate of 1hit point every five minutes. IfTemporary Damage has caused acharacter to go unconscious, he'llrecover consciousness when hereturns to 1 hit point or more.

Example: Amstard,above, took 11 points of damagebefore he was knocked out. He'llrecover one point of damageevery 5 minutes. After 55minutes, he'll be as healthy as hecan be until his Normal Damageis also healed up. However,since it wasn't the TemporaryDamage he took that knockedhim out, but a Knockout resultfrom a Punching attack, he won'twake up from recovery ofTemporary Damage; recoveryfrom Knockout is handleddifferently.

Magical Healing andTemporary Damage

When a character whohas sustained both Normal andTemporary damage receivesmagical healing, the healingspell first heals the Normal (real)Damage. If it heals all theNormal Damage, it then goes towork on the Temporary Damage.

Example: Let us sayAmstard receives a cure light

wounds spell immediately afterbeing knocked out. The priestrolls a 6 on 1d8. The first threepoints of healing cure his threepoints of Normal Damage. Theremaining three are applied tohis Temporary Damage. Whenthat's all done, Amstard is down0 points of Normal Damage and8 points of Temporary Damage.

Recovery From Knockout

A Knockout result can bereached from Punching andMartial Arts attacks and from theSap maneuver.

When a character isknocked out, he mustimmediately make a SystemShock percentile roll (see "Table3: Constitution," in the Player'sHandbook. Page 15.) If he makesthe roll, he will awaken in 2d6minutes. If he fails the roll, hewill awaken in 2d6 hours.

Temporary Damage andKnockout

If a character sustainedenough Temporary Damage torender him unconscious in thesame blow as he suffered aKnockout, he doesn't wake upuntil conditions for recovery ofboth the Temporary Damage andthe Knockout are met.

Example: In a rematch,Amstard pounds Cassius sillyuntil his last blow knocks himout. That last blow reduced himto –3 hit points, rendering himunconscious, and Amstard alsosuccessfully rolled for Knockouton percentile dice. So, when

does Cassius wake up?It will take Cassius 20

minutes to recover 4 points ofTemporary Damage, which willput him at 1 hp and let him wakeup. Cassius rolls his SystemShock roll and is successful,meaning that he will wake upfrom Knockout after 2d6minutes. He rolls a 7, so hewould wake up in 7 minutes.

But both recoveries haveto finish for him to wake up.After 7 minutes, he's stillunconscious, and will stay thatway until 20 minutes are up.

Magical Healing and Knockout

If a character who hasbeen Knocked Out receiveshealing magic (a cure lightwounds spell or any morepowerful healing spell, excludingirrelevant spells such as curedisease or neutralize poison),and he successfully made hisSystem Shock roll, he'll wake upimmediately (provided, as usual,that he's above 0 hit points).

If he receives healingmagic but failed his SystemShock Roll, the magic still helpshim: He may now calculate hisrecovery as though hesuccessfully made his SystemShock roll.

Combat Conditions

Not all fights take placein wide-open spaces with levelground and in conditions ofadequate light. Here, we'll talkabout what effects badconditions can have on combat.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesDarkness and Blindness

When things are reallydark, characters have a hard timefinding and attacking theirfoes . . . and defending againsttheir enemies' attacks.

Characters and monstersdon't start suffering penalties indarkness until it's very darkindeed. When it becomes verydark, they suffer penalties to hittheir enemies. And if theirenemies can see better than theycan, their enemies get bonuses toattack rolls.

On page 117 of thePlayer's Handbook is a chart ofVisibility Ranges.

Let's add one line to thatchart: Total Blackness. In TotalBlackness, all Visibility Rangesare 0.

On the chart above, you'llsee all those same VisibilityRanges in the first column.

The second columnindicates the character's attackpenalty when he's attackingsomeone in melee combat in thatsort of visibility.

The third column lists thepenalties for shooting atsomeone in ranged combat inthose visibility conditions. Thispenalty is taken once at ShortRange, again at Medium Range,and once more at Long Range(see Table 45 on page 69 of thePlayer's Handbook).

The fourth column is theInfravision Bonus. If a characterhas Infravision, his bonus isapplied against his attack penaltyfor Melee, and against his attackpenalty for Missile attackssuffered at each range step.

How This Works

When a character is in asituation where he suffers apenalty to attack rolls in meleecombat, he's obviously in somedark area. He, and everyone elsewith similar vision, suffers thepenalties to attack rolls in meleeand missile combat.

Example: Rathnar is in afight in pea-soup fog. He canbarely see his hand in front ofhis face. An enemy looms up in

the fog. Rathnar strikes at it—but suffers a –3 to attack rolls.The fog is so thick that it'sdifficult to strike exactly theright place. He rolls an attackthat would barely have hit hisfoe in ordinary circumstances; inthese circumstances, his blow isa clean miss.

The missile penalty getsworse and worse the furtheraway the attacker is from histarget.

Example: Sir Amstard, atthe head of an army, is firing atthe oncoming army of orcs,which is half-way across theplain. The orcs are at 200 yards,barely in range of the heroes'long bows. The weather,however, is drizzly and rainy,considered to be Mist on thechart above.

The chart says thatAmstard and allies take a –1 toattack rolls—at each range step.That's –1 at short range, another–1 at medium, and a last –1 atlong range. Amstard and friendstake a –3 to attack rolls whenfiring at the orcs.

Combat Modifiers for Darkness and Blindness

Condition Mel. Mis. Infr. BonusClear sky (daytime) –0 –0 +0Fog, dense or blizzard –3 –4 +0Fog, light or snow –1 –2 +0Fog, moderate –2 –3 +0 Mist or light rain –0 –1 +0Night, full moon –2 –4 +2Night, no moon –3 –6 +3Total darkness –4 –6 +3Twilight –1 –2 +1

Chapter 4: Combat RulesSuddenly, the cloud

breaks and a heavy rain falls oneveryone. The DM rules that it'sthe equivalent of light fog orsnow. The orcs haven't yet gottenwithin 140 yards, so they're stillat long range. Amstard andfriends fire again. Now, they'reat –2 to attack rolls per rangestep, or –6 total to attack rollstheir enemies.

How Infravision Works(The Simple Way)

The simplest way to useInfravision in thesecircumstances is to ignore thatfourth column on the chart aboveand just say that Infravisioncancels out all darknesspenalties. This is simple, easy toremember, and doesn't cause anycombat hassles.How Infravision Works(The Complex Way)

If you prefer morerealism and complexity, thenInfravision is a help, but it's stillnot quite as good as being inbroad daylight.

With these optional rules,Infravision can be a big help intimes of darkness. A characterwith Infravision isn't asdisadvantaged by poor lightingconditions.

First, in melee combat, inany condition of darkness whereone person has better vision thanthe other, he gets a bonus toattack rolls. This bonus is equalto the other fellow's attackpenalty. (The character withinfravision is still subject to the

normal penalty—in effect, thisbonus cancels the character'sown penalty.)

Example: It's dark andmoonless outside, and Rathnaris fighting Aspendale the Elf.Rathnar doesn't haveInfravision; Aspendale does.Rathnar, because it's dark andmoonless, is taking a –3 penaltyto attack rolls Aspendale inmelee. Aspendale, therefore, hasa +3 when striking at Rathnar.(–3 for bad lighting, +3 forRathnar's handicap, +3 forinfravision bonus).

Second, in missilecombat, in similar conditions, thecharacter with the better visiongets a bonus to hit his target.This, also, is equal to the otherfellow's melee, not missile,penalty to attack rolls.

Example: Taking abeating, Rathnar runs off intothe darkness and gets to his bow.Aspendale accommodates him.Firing at Medium Range,Rathnar is at a –12 to attackrolls! That's –6 each at Shortand Medium ranges, accordingto the chart above.

Third, the third column ofthe chart above gives a bonus forInfravision. This is applied to thecharacter's penalty for meleecombat, and to his penalty formissile combat at each rangestep.

Example: Aspendalereturns fire. He would be at a –6per each range step, too, but hehas Infravision. He gets a –6 atShort and at Medium Range, butthat's offset by a +3 at Short anda +3 at Medium Range. His

penalty: –6. And because he cansee better in the dark thanRathnar anyway, he gets a bonusequal to Rathnar's meleepenalty: +3. His final penalty: Amere –3. He shoots back atRathnar, hitting him clean on.

Unstable Ground

Characters sometimeshave to fight on unstable ground.Earthquakes happen. Giantmonsters burrow their way upfrom the depths of the earth,shaking everything. Charactershave naval battles where theyfight on the decks of ships.

When such situationscome up, the DM decides whatthe force of the groundmovement is. If it's sufficientlyviolent, characters will have tomake d20 rolls against Dexterityat the beginning of each combatround to stay on their feet.Sometimes those Dexterity rollswill have bonuses, sometimespenalties. When they fail thoserolls, they fall down.

The chart below showsseveral such situations and thetypes of Dexterity ability checksthey require:

So, if a character withDexterity 13 finds himselffighting on the deck of a stormtossed ship, each turn he'll haveto make his Dexterity check at a–3: He'll have to roll a 10 or lesson 1d20 or fall down.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesDexterityCheck

Situation Required?Big Monster Digging Up Yes, at Dexterity scoreMinor Tremor NoMajor Tremor Yes, at Dexterity +3Minor Earthquake Yes, at Dexterity scoreMajor Earthquake Yes, at Dexterity –6Ship's Deck, Slightly Rolling NoShip's Deck, Rolling Yes, at Dexterity +3Ship's Deck, Storm-Tossed Yes, at Dexterity –3

Lances and Dismounting

The DMG, page 76-77,talks about being dismounted incombat, but doesn't discuss atlength the usefulness of the lancein dismounting opponents.

The lance is designed todismount opponents as well as toinflict damage. Anytime a lancehits a mounted target and does 8

Mounted Combat

You'll find rules forMounted Combat in theDungeon Master's Guide, pages76-77. Let's elaborate on them abit.

Jousting

Jousting is a type ofcombat where two mountedwarriors, armed with lances rideat one another and try to spit oneanother with their weapons.

It's the sport of knightsand kings, and is veryappropriate to campaigns with amedieval setting.

Initiative

As a special rule, whentwo riders are jousting, don'tbother with initiative rolls. Onthe first round of a joust, the twojousters ride at one another androll attack rolls; on the second,both continue their ride, turnaround, and start back towardone another.

All attacks are resolvedsimultaneously. Initiative doesnot enter the picture.

If jousting is taking placeduring a larger battle, whereother things are going on andinitiative must be rolled, try this:When it's time for the jousterwho won initiative to take hisaction, the jouster who lostinitiative also gets to make hisattack roll, though this takesplace during the middle of theenemy's combat sequence. Thishelps simulate the fact that thelance-strikes take placesimultaneously.

Multiple Attacks

When a character hasmultiple attacks in a singleround, and is jousting, he doesnot get multiple lance attacks.He can only use that lance oncein a combat round (and loses thenext round turning his horse, ifhe's to come back and face thesame enemy).

However, that secondattack in the same round can stillbe effective; the best use for it isfor the rider to Parry theincoming lance attack with hisshield. This can make a joust alengthier affair—which isn't abad thing; a classic joust shouldgo on for a few rounds at least.

points or more of damage (afterdoubling), the victim has achance of being dismounted. Hemust roll his Riding proficiency;if he fails, he falls for anadditional 1–2 damage.

Since both lancers can hitat the same time, and both canconceivably miss their Ridingrolls, both can be dismountedsimultaneously . . . which tendsto be embarrassing, and can bedangerous in large battles.

Lance Breakage

Lances often break. Anylance that hits and does morethan 12 points of damage, andany lance that has beensuccessfully Parried by a shield,may break. The player rolls 1d6;on a 1 or 2, the lance breaks andis useless (except as a club).

Lance Specialization

If a character takesWeapon Specialization in lance,he gets the usual benefits ofattack and damage bonuses. Buthe also gets the followingbenefits:

He can perform theShield-Rush maneuver with his

Chapter 4: Combat Ruleslance-tip. In order for this to dodamage like a Shield-Rushinstead of a lance strike thecharacter must be mounted, andmust strike a character who hasmetal (or leather-and-metal)armor or a shield. If the characterdoes not have such armor, theattack is automatically a lancestrike.

He gets a +2 bonus to AC(thus, an AC 2 would become a0), only when jousting and onlyvs. another jouster. (That is, theAC bonus is only againstincoming lance attacks, and onlyworks when the defender ishimself mounted and carrying alance.)

Horseback Archery

Only the CompositeShort Bow, Short Bow, Daikyu(from this supplement'sEquipment chapter), andCrossbows may be used fromhorseback. The Long Bow andComposite Long Bow may notbe.

Firing a bow from theback of a still horse (one whichis not running) is done at a –1penalty to attack rolls. Firingfrom the back of a walking ortrotting horse is done at a –2penalty to attack rolls.

Firing from the back of agalloping horse is done at a –4penalty to attack rolls.

In some barbarian tribes,especially those who inhabitwild-open plains, every warriorknows Riding for the tribe'sfavorite riding animal andSpecializes in Composite Short

Bow. This makes them very, verydangerous opponents in a cavalryengagement.

Tournaments

Tournaments are eventswhere fighters get together tocompete . . . for prizes, to showoff their abilities, etc.

Fighting isn't all that goeson, and fighters aren't the onlyones in attendance. Tournamentsare huge social events whereeveryone gathers to watch,compete, gossip, trade, bet, andsport. But fighters are the center-piece; the event revolves aroundthem and their deeds.

The Basic Tournament

The basic tournament, ina medieval-type setting, consistsof a joust competition. This cantake place in an ordinary field,but is more colorful andentertaining when it takes placeon a special joust list.

The Joust List

This field consists of along strip of ground with a lowfence along the middle of it; thejousters ride toward one another,each with the fence to his left,and make jousting passes untilone or the other is dismounted.

Along one or both longsides of the list, stands are set upfor onlookers. There may be abox or special seating area forthe local ruler and his retinue.

At both ends of the list,where the horses turn around, are

racks of lances for the riders' use.At one end of the list is an exit tothe field where the knights andother participants have their tentsset up.

The Jousting Competition

The most popular eventin a tournament, the event whichthe tournament revolves around,is the jousting competition.

In this competition, allparticipating fighters announcethemselves to the seneschal,knights' marshal, or other minordignitary who does the actualwork of running the tournament.There is no fee for admission,but each entrant must have hisown mount, armor, and lances.It's best if he also has a squire,page or friend to wait by hislance-rack to hand him a newlance when one breaks.

In some societies, allentrants must be of the nobility,but that is necessarily left up toeach DM.

The jousting competitionis single elimination. The field ofentrants is broken down intorandomly-chosen pairs(sometimes the choosing is notso random, if the organizers wantto pit especially interestingfighters against one another—orto rig the tournament results).Each pair makes a number ofjousting passes until one isdismounted (or yields the field—i.e., surrenders in order to avoidfurther damage). If bothcombatants are dismounted inthe same pass, they get up,remount, and start over.

Chapter 4: Combat RulesThe winner of the pair

advances to the next round ofmatches; the loser is consoled.

When the number ofentrants is an odd number, onefighter doesn't have an opponent.He gets to "fight the bye." Anopponent is chosen for thejouster: Someone who lost in anearlier match, a warrior notentered in the competition, etc.Regardless of who wins thematch, the jouster is advanced tothe next round (and thus has aslight benefit over someone whodidn't get to fight the bye); buthe's just as tired and injured asany other fighter.

No fighter may fight thebye more than once in anytournament; the organizersrearrange things if the samefighter ends up without anopponent in another match. Bythe last matches of thecompetition, the tournamentnumbers will have evened outand no more byes will be fought.

With each subsequentround, the number of entrants ishalved, until at the end only twoare left; the winner of that matchis the winner of the tournament.

Blunted Lances

Tournaments may befought with blunted lances.Blunted lances work just asnormal lances, but they dodamage like Punching damage(i.e., 75% of all damage istemporary, and wears off afterthe end of the match). Bluntedlances do not have metal orpointed heads; they weigh as

much as regular lances, but costonly half as much.

Queen of Love and Beauty

Often, the winner of thejousting competition gets tochoose the tournament's "Queenof Love and Beauty." The localruler or tournament organizergives him a crown or coronet,which the fighter may bestowupon any lady (at thetournament) of his choosing;typically, the crown is placedover the end of the fighter'slance, so that he might ride alongthe stands and give the crown, atlance-point, to the lady of hischoice. The Queen of Love andBeauty sits with the fighter andlocal ruler at the night's feast,and the award is a sign of statusand respect, but confers nolasting benefit.

In a campaign wherewomen also fight, naturally, thefemale fighter would be given acrown to award to the "King ofGrace."

PrizesPrizes are often awarded

to the winner of the joust. Theseare not generally cash prizes, ormagical prizes; they are usuallysome jewelled or ornamentalsign of favor, and act as trophiesfor the victor.

Other Events

Other events taking placeat a tournament (at the discretionof the organizers and the DM)include:

Archery Competitions

An archery competition isusually for long bows or lightcrossbows; some tournamentshave one competition for each.

In the archerycompetition, the targets are setup at the weapon's long range;all competitors suffer a –5 toattack rolls with each shot.Targets are AC 10.

In each tournamentround, each participant fires fivearrows or quarrels at his target. Amiss counts as 0 points. Anormal hit counts as 3 points. If acharacter rolls 5 over what heneeded on his attack roll, itcounts as 5 points. If a natural 20is rolled, it counts as 10 points (abull's-eye!).

At the end of each round,points are tallied and half thefield, the ones with the lowestscores, are eliminated. Thiscontinued until there are onlytwo or three competitors left;when that happens, thecompetition has reached its finalround.

In the final round, thesame rules are in place, butsmaller, harder targets are used;they have AC 4.

Prizes often consist ofnew bows, quivers, sheaves ofarrows, and jewelry. Archery ispretty respectable; it does notcommand the sort of status orprizes the joust does, but isbetter-regarded than the lowlyfoot-list. Nobles and peasantsalike may participate.

In some cultures, thecrossbow is thought of as a

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesvulgar weapon; in such cultures,most tournaments won't have acrossbow competition. The fewsuch competitions which takeplace are not attended by noblecompetitors.

Foot-Lists

A foot-list is organizedlike a joust, except that itsentrants fight on foot, and are notrestricted to the nobility (evenwhen the joust is).

Since melee weapons aredeadlier than blunted lances,some tournament organizersprefer not to have foot-lists; thechances of a fighter dying arepretty high, and organizers arenot required or expected to havea high-level priest on hand toraise some peasant warrior whodies in a competition.

Prizes often consist ofweapons and minor jewelry,usually not as expensive or fancyas those awarded to the jousters.

Merchants' Stalls

Also present at largertournaments are rows upon rowsof merchants' stalls; a largetournament is a fascinating placeto go shopping, and a good placeto find experts in all sorts ofcraft-making, weapon-making,and armor-making.

Dancing, Socializing

Finally, the tournament isa grand social event. Musiciansplay, people gossip, dances areconducted; it's a grand place to

hear new rumors, or start them,to meet contacts, to stumbleacross mysteries . . . all of whichthe DM should keep in mind.

When to End Combat

Combats in the gamedon't have to go on untileveryone on one side is dead . . .or even defeated.

Don't forget that one sideor the other (including the PCs'side) can surrender, or retreat, oreven convince the other side tostop fighting and do sometalking or negotiating.

When every fight mustend in one side achieving total,bloody victory, the game rapidlygrows boring. When there'sopportunity for a greater numberof resolutions, there's moreuncertainty to combat, and to thecampaign's story line.

If you have characterswho won't stop fighting when itshould be done, you haveproblems. Here are some thingsto do about them.

When Characters Don't AcceptSurrender

When your characterswon't ever accept an enemy'ssurrender, you have a seriousproblem, because it also meansthat those characters won't eversurrender themselves (becausethey know it always meanscertain death), and that you cannever have two characters (PCand NPC) fight and later end upas allies (unless they're bothchaotic evil, for instance).

You can enforce the rightof your NPCs to surrender (andexpect to live through it) througha couple of means.

First, a surrenderingcharacter who is about to bebutchered could "turn out" tohave some information critical tothe characters, and saysomething like "Kill me andyou'll never learn about (fill inthe blank)." This stubborn NPCwon't reveal the information,even on pain of death, unless thePCs promise to accept hissurrender (and those of hisfriends) and keep the NPCs aliveafterwards. (If the PCs promise,and later renege, you can alwaysvisit other revenge upon them.)

Second, a local deity,spirit or monster could see thePCs hacking on surrenderingNPCs and grow offended. Muchtougher than the PCs will everbe, this being snatches up themost offensive of the PCs, tellshim what he's doing and why,and then curses or kills the PC asa lesson to the others.

This is a brute-forcetechnique, but such players havealready shown that theyunderstand little but brute forceanyway.

When Characters AlwaysChase Escapees

Some characters chaseafter every group of enemieswho run away from combat, withthe avowed intention of runningthem down and killing them.

The best way to counterthis attitude, and persuade the

Chapter 4: Combat RulesPCs to let the occasional band ofinconsequential NPCs andmonsters escape, is to have suchenemies set up traps along theirescape route. If the PCs pursue,they get caught in the traps andsuffer damage andembarrassment. That will teachthem to be more cautious infuture events.

Once the characters seeenemies getting away, they maycome to the realization that theymay themselves occasionallyflee and get away.

When Characters NeverNegotiate

Sometimes, when PCsand NPCs are thick in combat,an NPC may try to calm thingsdown, call for the two sides topart and cease fighting—at leastfor a while. It may be that theNPC has figured out that the twoparties should be allied, or thathe wants to bribe the PCs, oreven conduct surrendernegotiations . . . from a positionof strength.

If your characters nevernegotiate, once again yourcampaign options are limited.You have to brute-force somesense into them. A good way todo this is to have the PCs fightan NPC group who have ahostage or artifact crucial to thePCs. The NPCs say they will killthe hostage or destroy the artifactif the PCs don't stop fighting fora minute. And they're telling thetruth . . .

Once the PCs have lostseveral hostages or artifacts dear

to them, they may startreconsidering their reactionarypolicies. And once they get in thehabit of doing a little talkingwith the enemy, they may figureout that they can also initiatesuch communication in futurecombats.

Notes On the CombatSequence

Here are a couple of tipsto give you more options incombat.

Called Shots

With all the rules andoptions we've introduced in TheComplete Fighter's Handbook,we need to remind you to bediligent about asking aboutCalled Shots during the CombatSequence.

In the game, combatfollows this sequence:

(1) The DM decides whatthe NPCs and monsters will do;

(2) The DM asks theplayers what they will do;

(3) Initiative is rolled;and

(4) Combat is resolved ininitiative order.

In a lot of campaigns,Step 2 is skipped. The DMdecides what the NPCs ormonsters are doing, has everyoneroll initiative, and then asks theplayer-characters, as their actionscome up, what they're doing.

But if you're using CalledShots, you have to be diligentabout keeping Step 2 in thesequence, so that the characters'

Called Shots can be establishedbefore initiative is rolled.

Waiting on Initiative

There's another goodreason not to skip Step 2 of theCombat Sequence:

Though combat is thewarrior's profession, some DMslaunch the player characters intocombat more often than theynecessarily need to.

Why is this? It's becauseit becomes very easy to narratean encounter this way: "Youround the corner and there, 30feet ahead, you see a party of sixorcs advancing. They see you,too. Roll for initiative."

Once again, Step 2 isskipped; and, merely by saying"Roll for initiative," youpresume that the player-characters will attack the orcs,and that the orcs will attack thePCs. Not only do you presume it:You practically guarantee it. Theplayers will follow the DM's callfor initiative, and combat isjoined before anyone figures outthat they had other options.

If this has become yourhabit when DMing, trysubstituting some otherstatement instead: Ask "What doyou do?" instead of calling forinitiative rolls. This gives theplayers the opportunity to talk toor challenge the other party.Combat might result anyway; aparticularly militant PC, oraggressive NPCs, could bringabout a combat immediately. Butif that doesn't occur, the PCs andNPCs can talk, argue, choose to

Chapter 4: Combat Rulesfight or agree to cooperate,whatever they choose.

If the two groups decideto fight, roll initiative normally.

Tactics

All too often, a warriorcharacter simply charges up tothe front line in every combat,and in non-combat situations sitsback and listens while his wisermage and priest friends handleall the niggling details of theadventurer's life outside ofcombat.

Well, neither of theseapproaches is particularly good.

In combat, the front-lineattack is only one of severaloptions the party needs to cover.

And out of combat, thefighter is admirably suited todealing with several everydaydetails that concern theadventuring party.

Combat Tactics

When the characters (notjust the warrior-characters) entercombat, these are some thingsthat the warrior should rememberand provide for:

Shield-Walls and Polearms

As has been mentionedbefore, a character with apolearm (or long spear, orjavelin) can stand behind acharacter with a shorter weaponand attack the same targets thathis ally is attacking. That's oneof the principal advantages to thepolearm, but it's ignored all too

often in AD&D® gamecampaigns.

This is the way it works:The character with the

polearm positions himself behindan ally, preferably a fighter witha shield. Because the polearmfighter must work around thefriend in front of him, he suffersa –2 to attack rolls anyone on theother side of his friend.However, he isn't limited just tothe enemy of the man he'sstanding behind: If our polearmhero is standing behind a line ofthree men (who are side-by-side), he can strike at anyonewho is close enough to attackany of those three men with amedium length weapon.

This is useful in a combatbecause the polearm wielder canattack targets without being rightin their faces, or engaged withthem. That means he can switchtargets without any fancyfootwork. When one of hisbuddies is foundering, or takinga beating, the polearm wieldercan begin attacking that buddy'senemy.

And don't forget thepolearm vs. polearm Parry, asdescribed above under thatmaneuver's description.

Wolf-Pack Tactics

When the adventuringparty gets in combat with asingle large monster which canbe confronted directly (like atroll, for instance, and unlike adragon, which has a strong mixof melee abilities, ranged combatabilities, and mobility), it's

foolish just to line up and hack atthe thing. In fact, it's notnecessarily clever just tosurround the monster and hack atit. Try this instead:

Surround the monster, ofcourse.

On the first round, half ofthe circle of heroes shouldperform a Parry, or the Parryingmaneuver from the DMG. Theother half should attack asvigorously as possible.

On the second round, theaction switches: The groupwhich attacked last round, nowdefends, and the group whichdefended now attacks.

In real life (for example,when practiced by wolf-packs),this often has the effect ofconfusing the prey and reducingits fighting effectiveness. Theprey feels a bite to its rear andturns to attack there; but whileit's concentrating on enemies inthat direction, the wolves now toits rear make their attack.

In the AD&D® game, thewolf-pack tactic can have similareffects . . . if the DM wishes toallow it to. If the DM approvesof this tactic, he can cooperateby having the monster, for a fewrounds at least, behave in thepredictable fashion: Each round,the monster turns and attacks thegroup that attacked it last, whichis now defending. This will givethe party several rounds ofcombat where it has theadvantage and can whittle themonster down.

But be aware: Even if theDM is nice enough to give youthis slight tactical advantage,

Chapter 4: Combat Ruleseventually even the stupidestmonster will get wise and try tobreak through the circle offighters. A good thing doesn'tlast forever.

It may be that your DMhas no interest in letting thistactic work. Ask him if it has achance of doing some good inyour campaign. If he says no,don't even try it. Even if he saysyes, he may not remember togrant that little benefit; if, after afew wolf pack attempts, youhaven't seen it work once, giveup on the tactic.

Tactical Mix

It's a good idea for thefighting characters (includingrogues and priests) in a party torepresent a mix of weapons andcombat styles. Several should befront-line fighters, bearing heavyarmor and large, damagingweapons. One or two would bebehind-the-lines fighters,carrying polearms. And one ortwo should be missilers, carryingbow, crossbow, or even sling orthrowing knives.

This gives the party acertain amount of versatility. Theheavy fighters can engage theheavy opposition. The polearmfighters can attack the enemywith reduced risk of being hurt.The missilers should concentrateon eliminating enemy missilersfirst, and then can turn theirattention to doing unreturneddamage to the melee-fightingenemies.

It's especially good whencharacters can mix and match

their roles. Any character canhave a sling or a throwing axe athis belt and become a missiler ina matter of seconds, for example.

Rotation

It often happens that afront-line fighter becomesseriously damaged when fighting—and then must continuefighting, because he has no otheroption until the enemy isdefeated. This doesn't have to bethe case.

In a large party combat,particularly damaged front-linefighters can be "rotated out,"pulled from the front line andreplaced by a less hurtwarrior . . . or not replaced at all:The shield-wall (i.e., the otherfront-line fighters) can closeranks and plug up the hole.

See the rules for Retreat(Player's Handbook, page 97).During his combat action, theinjured man announces that he'sretreating; the ally or allies hestood side-by-side with need toannounce that they're blockingpursuit (i.e., they're moving sothat the enemy can't just wanderin through their line). That putsthe hurt man behind his ownline, where he can keep awayfrom damage or even seek somehealing.

If one of the polearmfighters is accommodating, theycan take the rest of their combatround to switch weapons. Theinjured man takes the polearm,and the other fighter takes thefront-line weapons. On their nextcombat round, the uninjured man

moves up into the line and theinjured man begins whackingenemies with his polearm.

This is a good way tokeep people alive.

Spear-Carriers

In some campaigns,players have the attitude thatNPCs are along to get killed sothat the PCs won't.

That's patently ridiculous;an adventuring party with thatattitude would soon gain a verybad reputation, and would find itincreasingly difficult to hireNPCs, would find that inns andtaverns always denied themservice, would find that sagestold them to buzz off, etc.

However, there's a typeof spear-carrier NPC that anygroup of adventurers shouldconsider hiring—and that's theactual spear-carrier.

In many towns andvillages, the heroes can find astrong, strapping youth who iswilling to come along with themfor the promise of some treasureand combat training. Thisenergetic youth shouldn't beslapped in armor and put up frontto be killed: Instead, he shouldbe charged with carrying anextra weapon or two and makingsure that all his allies haveweapons at all times in combat.In a combat, the spear-carriermay act as a behind-the-linespolearm warrior, if his handsaren't full already. He also servesas backup defense for peoplewho stay behind the linesbecause they can't fight well:

Chapter 4: Combat RulesNoncombatant NPCs, mages,etc.

Here's how it works:The spear-carrier is given

a single weapon of his own, suchas a spear, and also carries acouple of extra weapons, whichare party-owned weapons—suchas a long sword in a back sheathand a short sword on his belt, forinstance.

In combat, he staysbehind the line and takes theoccasional spear-poke at theenemy over the line. Whenever aPC loses a weapon (to a fumble,or an enemy's Disarm, or when aweapon is shattered by a foe),the spear-carrier uses his nextavailable combat round to movein close and give the PC one ofthe extra weapons he's carrying.

The spear-carrier is alsouseful for keeping a more distanteye on what's going on with thecombat. He might notice newenemies arriving on the horizon,or notice an enemy skulking toget around the edge of the shield-wall, before a player-characterhas the opportunity to do so.

Since this character is anNPC, he doesn't have to sharethe player-characters' franticdesire to make every combatround of every combat count forsomething. He can afford to keepan eye on things and won'tnecessarily be desperate to bangon an enemy every round.

A variant of this characteris the spear-carrier devoted to aspecific PC. A PC who is aspear-thrower, for instance,might have a page or squiredevoted to carrying two or three

extra spears for him. In such acase, the PC is usuallyresponsible for teaching the pageor squire to fight (without gettinghim killed) so that NPC mightsomeday become a knight.

Directing Traffic

It's very helpful for onefighter in a party to act as tacticalcoordinator (that is, combatleader). In combat, he keeps hiseye on the situation and issuesorders to his allies.

The tactical coordinatorshould be the one to notice thatone of his front line friends isbeing chopped to pieces, andorder that character rotated backbehind the line. When oneparticular enemy is discovered tobe more deadly than the rest, thetactical coordinator should ordermissilers and polearm fighters toconcentrate their efforts on thatone. When the fight goes againstthe heroes and can't be turnedaround, the tactical coordinatorshould order the retreat—andmake sure, if possible, that it's anorderly one, with no one missingand fighting-ranks stillmaintained.

If no PC fightervolunteers or naturally evolvesinto the combat leader role, theDM can help "push things along"by determining, in his bestopinion, which PC would be bestin that role—and then havingNPCs turn to that character fororders when combat situationscome up.

Campaign Tactics

The warrior isn't helplessor useless outside of combat,either.

In situations where theparty is preparing for anadventure, planning a mission, orjust arriving in a new place(town, castle, whatever), thefighters (especially the combatleader) should make themselvesresponsible for learning thefollowing things .. . and reporting these facts to theothers:

Combats and CombatMissions:

What's the lay of theland? The fighters should getdetailed descriptions (and, ifpossible, maps) of the area wherethey will be fighting; this willhelp them plot strategy,ambushes, etc.

What sort of forces doesthe opposition muster? Thismight be details of the enemyarmy, or the garrison of a castlethe heroes want to invade, or justrumors of what might be foundin the dark dungeon thecharacters intend to explore.

Is anything strange goingon at the site? If there is, it mightbe symptomatic of somethingimportant to the characters. Dothe locals hear grumblings andrumblings deep in the earth thatweren't there before? This mightindicate that a dragon has movedin . . . or that someone is doingsome mining secretly. Are theresuddenly a lot of strangers in

Chapter 4: Combat Rulestown? This might mean theenemy has spies in town, or ishiring new warriors, who passthrough town on route to theirfinal destination. Wheneverthere's something strange goingon, the heroes will have to faceits source eventually, and shouldbe as prepared as possible. Whenthe fighters hear of somethingstrange going on, they reallyought to consult with the magesand priests, who might haveideas on the matter based ontheir own fields of learning.

Can the heroes count onlocal help? If this is a combatassault, can the heroes request,hire or levy local troops to backthem up? If they can, and thesituation warrants it, they should.But if they never ask, theyalmost never get help.

Can the heroes hire localexperts? If their mission is totake them into an area where alocal knows more about thesituation than they do, it's a goodidea for the characters to hire alocal expert. Guides who knowthe local sites, especially, are aninvaluable resource.

What sort of equipmentwill the party need? Any sort ofspecial situation (walls to climb,specific monsters to fight,interesting terrain to cross, etc.)is likely to require specializedequipment, and it's the fighters'responsibility to determine whatsort of equipment that is . . . andthen to get it.

Just Arriving In Town

What are the characters'rooms like? Whether the heroesare being accommodated byfriends, by an inn, or by a localruler or noble, the fighter shouldcheck out their rooms in terms ofdefensibility. If the heroes areattacked in their rooms in themiddle of the night in the dark,the fighter should know (becausehe's prepared himself inadvance) how many exits thereare from the room, whether theyare open, closed, or locked, howdefensible the room is, whatstory it is on and how far it is tothe ground, etc. He might wish toconsult with the Rogue, whomight be inclined to check forsecret doors or traps, or on thefeasibility of going up to the roofwhen the heroes go out thewindow.

What are the local laws?The fighter should find out whatthe local ordinances areconcerning the carrying ofweapons and the wearing ofarmor. If it turns out that either isillegal or restricted, he ought tolet his friends know about it.Contrary to what somecampaigning groups think, localcommunities have the right tomake such laws and enforcethem . . . and when player-characters defy the localauthorities, refuse to take offarmor or abandon weapons, andeven attack and kill local peaceofficers, the PCs are for themoment villains, not heroes.

The other characterclasses have their own subjects

to explore in the same situations.By comparison:

Mages can takeresponsibility for: Learning thehistory of the current situation,how it came to be; perhapsthere's a clue to getting thingsfixed in the history of the matter.Getting details of the magic ofthe situation; only a mage canproperly evaluate these details;perhaps the mage can arrange orresearch a counter-spell useful inthe situation.

Priests can takeresponsibility for: Learningwhat the local priests think of thesituation. Communing with theirdeities to see if the deity has anyprophecy, advice or admonitionto offer. Provisioning the party;the priest is best suited toarranging for ordinary provisions(food, clothing, etc.).

Rogues can takeresponsibility for: Putting anear to the street (that is, thepeople of the street) and seeingwhat's afoot; it's always a clue tothe resolution of a problem if therulers say one thing and thecommon people say somethingdifferent about a situation.Evaluating infiltration and break-in opportunities; the rogue is bestsuited to determining howpossible and useful it would beto getting a spy in the enemycamp, breaking in to a specificsite, etc.

Naturally, all thesedescriptions are generalizations.Any specific character might beparticularly talented at one ofthese roles, even if he belongs toa "wrong" character class. But

Chapter 4: Combat Rulessomeone should undertake eachof these tasks; otherwise, thecharacters are going into asituation knowing less than theycould know about it.

The Combat Sheet

On page 122 is a CombatSheet. One side containsinformation for PCs, the other isfor the DM to record vitalcombat statistics about thecharacters.

Chapter 5: EquipmentWarriors do not live by

raw combat talent alone (thoughthey've been known to die by it).No, they also need equipment,the tools of their trade: weapons,armor, and miscellaneous gearappropriate to the warrior-class.

In this chapter, we'll talkabout that equipment, andelaborate on the weapons andarmor presented in the Player'sHandbook.

Old Weapons

We need to clarify somedetails about weapons whichappeared in the Player'sHandbook.

One-Hand, Two-Hand

Weapons, for purposes ofhow they're held and wielded,fall into four categories: one-handed only, one-handed but canbe wielded two-handed, one-handed or two-handed, or two-handed only.

One-Handed Onlymeans the weapon can only bewielded one-handed, in one handor the other.

One-Handed But CanBe Wielded Two-Handed refersto a weapon principally designedfor one-handed use but whichcan be used two-handed. Theseweapons have enough haft or hilton them that the wielder canwield the weapon in both hands,which confers no benefit . . .unless the character has taken aStyle Specialization in Two-Hander Fighting Style (see thedescription of Two-Hander

technique in the Combatchapter).

One-Handed Or Two-Handed weapons are designedspecifically to be used with oneor both hands, and have separatedamage listings for the twodifferent fighting styles.

Two-Handed Onlyweapons can only be wielded intwo hands.

Examples

Each of the weaponsfrom the Player's Handbook fallsinto one of those four categories,as follows:

One-Handed Only

Dagger/dirk, Dart,Footman's mace, Hand/throwingaxe, Knife, Lances (all),Scourge, Sickle,Sword/Khopesh,Sword/Scimitar, Sword/Short,Whip.

One-Handed But Can BeWielded Two-Handed

Battle axe, Club,Footman's flail, Footman's pick,Horseman's flail, Horseman'smace, Horseman's pick, Morningstar, Sword/Long, andWarhammer.

One-Handed Or Two-Handed

Harpoon, Javelin, Spear,Sword/Bastard, Trident.

Two-Handed Only

Arquebus, Blowgun,Bows (all), Crossbows (all),Mancatcher, Polearms (all),Quarterstaff, Sling (one hand toload, one hand to throw), Staffsling, Sword/Two-handed.

More On One-Handed or Two-Handed

As you can see, fiveweapons fall into the One-Handed Or Two-Handedcategory: The Bastard Sword,and four spear-like weapons(Harpoon, Javelin, Spear,Trident).

In the Player'sHandbook, it's presumed thatyou're fighting with Spear one-handed, and with Harpoon,Javelin, and Trident two-handed.(This is because Spear is aMedium weapon and the othersare Large.) However, in TheComplete Fighter's Handbook,any of these weapons can beused either in one hand or inboth.

But they can also bewielded two-handed, and doeven more damage when theyare. The table shows both theone-handed and two-handeddamage for each of the fourweapons.

Also, to this list we'readding the Long Spear. This islike the ordinary spear, butmounted on a much longer (12'–18') shaft. It's not especiallysuited to one-handed use, butinflicts a lot of damage whenused two-handed.

Chapter 5: EquipmentThe Harpoon, Javelin,

Spear, and Trident can all bethrown, but the thrown weapondamage is always the one-handed damage, never the two-handed damage. The Long Spearis not built for throwing.

These five spear-likeweapons are as fast andmaneuverable when used two-handed; therefore, unlike theBastard Sword, their speed factordoes not worsen when they areused two-handed.

New Weapons

Several of the warrior-kits described in the AdvancedWarrior Types chapter mentionednew weapons appropriate tothose warrior types. On the nextpage is a chart of all those newweapons; a little further on we'lldiscuss what they are and howthey're used.

Many of these weaponshave special abilities, bonusesand combat functions notreflected on the chart; theseabilities help account for thehigh costs listed for some of theweapons.

Other weapons,particularly the bone and stoneones, seem to be of very limitedusefulness. There's a reason forthat, discussed a little further onin this section.

The chain, lasso and netare included in the table abovebecause their use, in combat, ismuch like a missile weapon.They have ranges related to thelength of the chain, the lasso orthe net's trailing rope.

The "*" means theweapon doesn't precisely have arate of fire; it may be used asoften as the character's level (andperhaps specialization) dictates

for a melee weapon.

Use of These Tables

The fact that theseweapons appear on tables in anAD&D® game product doesn'tmean that players mayimmediately buy these weaponsfor their characters. Theseweapons are not commonlyavailable, and may only be takenwith DM permission . . . and thatpermission should depend on thecharacter's origin.

You see, each of theseweapons is appropriate to acertain culture (and to theWarrior Kits belonging to thatculture); and each of theseweapons is further describedbelow, under the heading thatcorresponds to that culture orWarrior Kit.

Weight Speed DamageItem Cost (lbs.) Size Type† Factor S-M LHarpoon%

One-handed 20 gp 6 L P 7 1d4+1 1d6+1Two-handed 20 gp 6 L P 7 2d4 2d6

Javelin%One-handed 5 sp 2 M P 4 1d4 1d4Two-handed# 5 sp 2 M P 4 1d6 1d6

Spear%One-handed 8 sp 5 M P 6 1d6 1d8Two-handed# 8 sp 5 M P 6 1d8+1 2d6

Spear, Long%One-handed 5 gp 8 L P 8 1d8 1d8+1Two-handed# 5 gp 8 L P 8 2d6 3d6

Trident%One-handed 15 gp 5 L P 7 1d6+1 3d4Two-handed 15 gp 5 L P 7 1d8+1 3d4

% This weapon is intended for one-handed or two-handed use.# This weapon inflicts double damage when firmly set to receive a charge.

Chapter 5: EquipmentMissile Weapon Ranges

Weapon ROF S M LBolas 1 3 6 9Chain * ½ 1 2Dagger, bone 2/1 1 2 3Dagger, stone 2/1 1 2 3Daikyu 2/1 7 14 21Javelin, stone 1 2 4 6Knife, bone 2/1 1 2 3Knife, stone 2/1 1 2 3Lasso * 1 2 3Net * 1 2 3Shuriken 2/1 2 4 6Spear, stone 1 1 2 3Stiletto 2/1 1 2 3Trident 1 0 1 2

New Weapon Special Notes

1 This weapon is intended forone-handed use, and may not beused two-handed.2 This weapon is intended forone-handed use, but may be usedtwo-handed.3 This weapon is intended forone-handed or two-handed use.4 This weapon is intended fortwo-handed use only.5 This weapon inflicts doubledamage when firmly set toreceive a charge.6 The "Type" category is dividedinto Bludgeoning (B), Piercing

If, for instance, yourcharacter isn't a Gladiator, hecan't start play with a drusus. Infact, if he doesn't belong to aculture which has gladiators,never travels to such a culture,and doesn't even find a marketwith contacts with such a culture,he can never even get a drusus.

So the DM, and DMalone, decides how accessibleeach of these weapons is basedon how many ties the campaignculture has with the culture thatcreates these weapons. Even ifhe says that there is contact, itmay not be possible or easy forPCs to acquire these weapons;just because samurai visit thecourt of your king doesn't meanthat they'd be willing to sell theirtreasured katanas, after all.

In short, acquisition ofthis type of equipment is left asan exercise in role-playing andadventure, in played-out gamesessions, not as something assimple as dropping some goldpieces off your character sheet.

Gladiator Weapons

Gladiators are trained in avariety of weapons. In additionto the new weapons on the chartabove, gladiators can be trainedin the following, morecommonly-available, weapons:Long bow (any type), Short bow(any type), Dagger, Footman'sflail, Knife, Halberd, Scourge,Scimitar, Short sword, Spear,Trident, and Whip.

The short sword used bygladiators, incidentally, is ashort, straight-bladed weaponsharpened on both edges; it iscalled the gladius, and gladiatorstake their name from it. Thegladius has the characteristics ofan ordinary short sword.

(P), and Slashing (S). Thisindicates the type of attack made,which may alter the weapon'seffectiveness against differenttypes of armor. See the optionalrule in the Player's Handbook,page 90.

Chapter 5: EquipmentNew Weapons List

Weight Speed DamageItem Cost (lbs.) Size Type 6 Factor S-M LArrows, Stone Flight4 3 cp/1 1/10 M P — 1d4 1d4Belaying pin1 2 cp 2 S B 4 1d3 1d3Bo stick4 2 cp 4 L B 4 1d6 1d4Bolas1 5 sp 2 M B 8 1d3 1d2Cestus1 1 gp 2 S S 2 1d4 1d3Chain4 5 sp 3 L B 5 1d4+1 1d4Dagger, Bone1 1 sp 1 S P 2 1d2 1d2Dagger, Stone1 2 sp 1 S P 2 1d3 1d2Daikyu4 100 gp 3 L — 7 — —Daikyu arrow4 3 sp/6 1 M P — 1d8 1d6Gaff/hook1

Attached 2 gp 2 S P 2 1d4 1d3Held 5 cp 2 S P 2 1d4 1d3

Javelin, Stone3

One-handed 5 cp 2 M P 4 1d4 1d4Two-handed 5 cp 2 M P 4 1d4+1 1d6

KnifeBone1 3 cp ½ S P/S 2 1d2 1d2Stone1 5 cp ½ S P/S 2 1d2 1d2

Lasso4 5 sp 3 L — 10 — —Main-gauche1 3 gp 2 S P/S 2 1d4 1d3Net4 5 gp 10 M — 10 — —Nunchaku1 1 gp 3 M B 3 1d6 1d6Polearm

Naginata4,5 8 gp 10 L P 7 1d8 1d10Tetsubo4 2 gp 7 L B 7 1d8 1d8

Sai1 5 sp 2 S P/B 2 1d4 1d2Shuriken1 3 sp 1 S P 2 1d4 1d4Spear, Long3

One-Handed 5 gp 8 L P 8 1d8 1d8+1Two-Handed5 5 gp 8 L P 8 2d6 3d6

Spear, Stone3

One-handed 8 cp 5 M P 6 1d4 1d6Two-handed 8 cp 5 M P 6 1d6 2d4

Stiletto1 5 sp ½ S P 2 1d3 1d2Sword

Cutlass1 12 gp 4 M S 5 1d6 1d8Drusus1 50 gp 3 M S 3 1d6+1 1d8+1Katana3

One-handed 100 gp 6 M S/P 4 1d10 1d12Two-handed 100 gp 6 M S/P 4 2d6 2d6

Rapier1 15 gp 4 M P 4 1d6+1 1d8+1Sabre1 17 gp 5 M S 4 1d6+1 1d8+1Wakizashi2 50 gp 3 M S/P 3 1d8 1d8

Chapter 5: EquipmentBolas

\ The bolas are three ballsattached to ropes or cords abouta yard in length; the other endsof the cords are tied together in aknot. The wielder of the bolaswhirls them by the knot andthrows them at a target; if theyhit, they wrap around the target,with the balls smashing painfullyinto the target as they connect.Once they have wrappedthemselves around a target, ittakes the victim one full roundand a successful ability check vs.Strength to get them free. (If thecharacter fails his Strengthcheck, he does not get the bolasfree this round.)

This weapon does only alittle damage, but it is especiallyuseful if you are using the HitLocations rules from the CombatRules chapter.

If the attacker makes aCalled Shot to the target's Legs(he doesn't have to specifywhich; if the attack hits, it hitsboth), and successfully attacks,the bolas wrap themselves tightlyaround his legs. He can nolonger run or walk until he getsthem free. He must make aDexterity check just to avoidfalling down. In fact, if he wasmoving when the attack wasmade, he suffers a –3 penalty tohis Dexterity check to avoidfalling down.

If the attacker makes aCalled Shot to the target's Arms(again, he doesn't have tospecify; both will be hit) andsuccessfully attacks, the bolaswrap themselves tightly around

his arms and torso. He cannotwield his weapon and does notget the AC bonus of his shielduntil he gets himself free. Hisroll to free himself is at a –2penalty to his Strength abilityscore because he has noleverage.

If the attacker makes aCalled Shot to the target's Head,the bolas wrap themselvesaround the target's neck andbegin strangling him. (This doesnot work if the character waswearing a Close-Faced Helm ora Great Helm, described laterthis chapter.) The bolas do thelisted damage on the round theyhit. Thereafter, on eachsuccessive round where theybegin the round still on thevictim's throat, they do 1d3 hp ofdamage from strangulation. Thedamage stops when they areremoved or when the target isdead.

Weapon proficiency withthe Bolas is not related to anyother weapon proficiency.Specialization grants the usualbenefits. In case of a Called Shotto the target's head, the damagebonus only applies to the initialhit; it is not added to thesubsequent rounds ofstrangulation.

Any leatherworker orweaponsmith can make a set ofbolas . . . but he must have exactmeasurements for the cords andexact weights for the balls to doit right. Simply hearing such aweapon described, the craftsmancan make something like it . . .but unless he makes hiscraftsman ability check by 3 or

better, the weapon he makes willbe proportioned wrong and willbe at a –4 to attack rolls.

Cestus

The cestus is a glove likeweapon, studded with sharpspikes and edges on the back ofthe glove and across theknuckles. Gladiators fightingwith the cestus usually wear two,one on each hand (the plural iscesti); here, it pays for agladiator to have Cestus WeaponSpecialization, Two-WeaponStyle Specialization, and/orPunching Specialization.

Cestus combat is verypopular with arena crowdsbecause it is extremely bloodyand up-close. Also, because theweapons do comparatively littledamage, the fighters tend to lasta long time in combat.

When wearing a cestus ortwo cesti, a character may stillmake a Grab maneuver with thehand the cestus is on. This attackwill be at a –2 to attack rolls forclumsiness, and a –2 to theattacker's Strength (for purposesof holding on) likewise.

Cestus, because it issimply a bonus to punching-typeattacks, does not require weaponproficiency; anyone can use cestiwith no proficiency penalty.Therefore, Specialization withCestus costs only weaponproficiency slot.

In a culture where there isgladiatorial combat, cesti arereadily available fromweaponsmiths, but they are notexported, as they're such a basic

Chapter 5: Equipmentweapon the market is not verygood. Any foreign weaponsmithwho has cesti described to himcan make perfectly functionalcesti; the first two cesti he makeswill be at twice the listed cost,and subsequent ones will be atthe listed cost.

Drusus

The Drusus is a Gladius(short sword) of Exceptionalquality (as per the types ofweapon quality described in theCharacter Creation chapter ofthis rule book). It looks just likean ordinary gladius; only bytesting the sharpness of the bladecan someone tell the difference.The Drusus has been forged sothat the metal is better temperedand holds an edge better, andthen sharpened until it has arazor-like edge.

Because of this, it does+1 damage and confers a non-magical +1 to attack rolls overthe normal gladius. (This meansthe wielding character gets a +1to attack rolls when using theweapon, but the weapon does notgive him the ability to hitmonsters which require magicalweapons to affect.)

The Drusus also has adisadvantage. In order to keep itskeen edge, it must be regularlysharpened with a lot moreattention and time than anordinary weapon requires. Afterany day in which the Drusus hasbeen fought with (even oneattack!), someone with either theArmorer or Weaponsmithsecondary skill, or the

Blacksmithing, Armorer, orWeaponsmithing nonweaponproficiency, must sharpen theblade for half an hour . . . or, onthe next day, it will act as anordinary short sword (losing itsto-hit and damage bonus) until itis so sharpened.

Exposure to high heat (asmith's forge, dragon's breath,lava, etc.) will ruin the temper ona Drusus, turning it into anordinary short sword and foreverdestroying its bonus on attackand damage rolls.

The Drusus uses the sameweapon proficiency as the shortsword. If a character can use ashort sword, he can use a Drususwith equal proficiency. Weaponspecialization with one doestransfer to the other.

In cultures where thereare gladiators, any weaponsmithwith a weaponsmithing abilitycheck of 14 or better can make aDrusus for the cost shown. Theseweapons are seldom exported, aslocal demand is high for the fewmade. A foreign weaponsmithcould not make one merely if itwere described to him; he wouldhave to study with a localweaponsmith. Having done so,he could make the weapon.

Lasso

The lasso, or lariat, is alength of rope with a loop at theend; the wielder holds the slackin his off-hand, twirls the lassoin his other hand, and hurls theloop at his target. On asuccessful hit, the lariat settlesover the target, giving the

wielder the chance to dismounthim, pull him to the ground, triphim, etc.

In other words, when youattack someone with a lasso, youmust declare what you're tryingto accomplish with the attack.

If you're trying to triphim, you're trying to make theloop settle about his legs. Thisrequires a Called Shot at the legsas per the Hit Locations sectionof the Combat Rules chapter.

If you hit, he must makea Dexterity ability roll, with theusual modifiers for the Pull/Tripmaneuver; if he fails, he falls,and if he succeeds, he's able tojump out of your loop before itcloses.

If you're trying to pin hisarms to his sides, you're trying tomake the loop settle about historso and arms. This requires aCalled Shot at the arms as perthe Hit Locations section of theCombat Rules chapter.

If you hit, he must makea Strength ability roll, again withthe usual modifiers for Pull/Trip.If he succeeds, he shrugs theloop off before you can pull ittaut. If he fails, you pull the looptaut. Both of his arms are pinned,as in the Pin maneuver. Thetarget gets to struggle eachround, also as per the Pinmaneuver rules. Each additionallasso that hits the target to pinhim gives him a –4 to hisStrength ability for purposes ofhis struggling. When hisStrength reaches 0, he has nochance of escaping.

If you're trying todismount a rider, you're trying to

Chapter 5: Equipmentmake the loop settle about historso—and then brace yourselffor the impact (when his mount'smovement reaches the end ofyour rope, both you and he aregoing to be jarred). This doesn'trequire a Called Shot: You mustmerely hit your target normally.

If you hit, both you andthe unfortunate rider must nowmake Strength ability rolls. If herolls his better than you rollyours, the lasso is torn from yourhands and you take 1d2 damage.If you roll yours better than herolls his, you yank him from hissaddle and he takes 1d3 fromimpact with the lasso and theearth. If you both make your rollby the same amount, then bothresults occur; the lasso is yankedfrom your hands, doing 1d2 toyou, and he's yanked from hishorse, taking 1d3. (Incidentally,if you've had time to tie yourrope to an absolutely stationaryobject, like a boulder, you don'thave to roll against your Strengthability; you win this contestunless your target rolls a 1, inwhich case the rope breaks andhe can ride off laughing.)

If you're trying to lasso atarget's head (for example, whenyou're up in a tree and yourtarget is an unsuspecting guardwalking below), this is a CalledShot to his Head as per the usualrules.

If, after the modifiers,you still hit, you can yank for1d3 damage (plus your Strengthbonus). On subsequent rounds,you can yank for 1 point ofdamage each (plus your Strengthbonus). But if you're in a

position to hoist your target up inthe air (for instance, if you're upon a tree-branch, lasso yourvictim, and then drop off thebranch on the other side, holdingonto the rope to hoist your victimup), you do your victim 1d4points of strangulation damageper round (Strength bonus doesnot apply to this). If he can gethis knife free and cut himselfloose, that's good for him; if not,it's good for you. Whilestrangling, a victim cannot shoutor raise the alarm.

If you're trying to dropyour loop around the head of amounted rider . . . well, it'sdifficult, but possible. Make it asa standard Called Shot to thehead.

If you hit, you must againmake your Strength abilitycheck. If he wins it, he takes 1d4damage from the impact of thelasso around his neck going taut—but the lasso is still yankedfrom your hand, doing 1d2 toyou, and he can ride off. If youwin it, he takes 2d6 damage fromthe impact, another 1d3 fromhitting the ground, and he'sdismounted. If you both make itby an equal amount, he takes1d4, is dismounted and takes anadditional 1d3, and you take 1d2from the lasso being yanked outof your hands. (If, in thisexample, you've had time to tiethe other end of your lasso to anabsolutely stationary object, yourtarget still gets his roll. On a 1,the rope breaks and he takes 1d4damage. Otherwise, he'sautomatically dismounted andtakes 3d6 damage.

Such a maneuver, hard asit is to set up, could easily breaksomeone's neck, killing himinstantly.)

In the chart above, thelasso was listed as a largeweapon because of the amountof space it takes to twirl andwield it.

You cannot perform aParry or Disarm with the lasso,or use it as a melee weapon forPin—only at range.

Lasso requires its ownweapon proficiency, which is notrelated to any other weaponproficiency. Weaponspecialization gives you thenormal +1 to attack rolls with thelasso and +2 damage on alldamaging effects of the lasso(strangulation after the initial hitis still only 1d4, not 1d4+2).

Cultures with gladiatorsare not the only ones whichcome up with the lasso.Civilizations which dependheavily on herd-beasts oftenhave the lasso as a weapon. Insome cultures, the lasso is afavorite weapon of assassins. It'sup to the DM to determine if thelasso is a weapon of the player-characters' culture.

If it is not, a PC needonly train with someone who hasproficiency with the weapon(and the PC must have a freeweapon proficiency slot) in orderto learn how to make and use thelasso.

Chapter 5: EquipmentNet

The gladiators' netconsists of a small (8' to 12'diameter) circular net withweights around the edge and atrailing rope used for control.Customarily, it is folded in sucha manner that it will twirl openwhen thrown; the gladiatorthrows it with one hand, keepinga grip on the trailing rope withthe other.

If the gladiator makes hisattack roll, he has a Pinmaneuver on his target (see therules for Pin maneuver from theCombat Rules chapter). All thenotes on Pin apply here, exceptone: the netted character may notmake any sort of attack on thenetter until he's won a Strengthability check and thrown that netoff.

On the round after thegladiator has netted hisopponent, he has a choice ofwhat he wants to do.

He can hold onto thetrailing rope with his off-hand(in order to maintain the Pin),pull out another weapon with hisfree hand, and attack his preywith that weapon. Eventually, hisprey will probably win aStrength ability check and shrugthat net off; in the meantime, thegladiator may get several roundsof unreturned attack on him.

Alternatively, he can tryto improve his hold on the target.By continuing to loop the trailingrope around his victim, he canimprove the capture until thevictim has no chance of escape.To do this, he must make an

ordinary roll to-hit against hisvictim's AC each round. On eachsuccessful hit, the victim loses 4points of effective Strength forpurposes of breaking free of thenet. If the victim wins a Strengthability check against his captorbefore his Strength drops to 0, hebreaks free (and his Strength isnormal for all other purposes). Ifhe fails, and his Strength isbrought down to 0, he ishopelessly enmeshed in the netand cannot get out until hiscaptor lets him.

When a gladiator throwsa net and misses, it is open andunfolded. That doesn't mean hecan no longer fight with it . . .but it is not as accurate, becauseit's not folded right. Eachsubsequent attack roll with theunfolded net is at a –3 to attackrolls.

With a properly-foldednet, an attacker can performDisarm, Parry and Pinmaneuvers. Once a net isunfolded, such attacks are at a –3to attack rolls.

Weapon proficiency withthe net also give you the abilityto fold the net properly, and tomake fighting-nets. WeaponSpecialization gives you thenormal +1 to attack rolls; since itcannot give you a +2 to damage(the net doing no damage), youget that +2 as a bonus to yourStrength when you're makingStrength ability checks againstnetted prey.

Cultures with gladiatorialcombat do export such weapons,and the knowledge of their use(gladiators do demonstrations

and exhibitions in foreigncapitals all the time). Also,cultures with no knowledge ofgladiatorial combatindependently develop the netweapon skill; at the DM'sdiscretion, any character with theSavage warrior kit, the Huntersecondary skill or Huntingnonweapon proficiency, or anygood rationale could spend aweapon proficiency slot to learnthe use of the net.

Pirate Weapons

The world of piracydoesn't demand that pirates useany specific weapons . . . but forreasons of tradition andconvenience, some specificweapons are very common topirate crews.

In addition to the newweapons on the chart above,pirates are readily familiar with:Battle axe, Bow (all types), Club,Crossbow (all normally-availabletypes), Dagger/Dirk,Hand/throwing axe, Harpoon,Javelin, Knife, Polearm/Awlpike, Polearm/Partisan, Scourge(mostly for disciplinarypurposes), Sling, Spear, Sword(all but Khopesh), Trident, andWhip (also mostly fordisciplinary purposes).

Additionally, the world ofthe Pirate overlapped that of theSwashbuckler to a considerabledegree. With the DM'spermission (and there's usuallylittle reason to deny it), Piratesmay have access to all theweapons listed on the chartabove and descriptions below for

Chapter 5: EquipmentSwashbucklers.

The new weapons forPirates include:

Cutlass

The cutlass is a short,heavy sword, sharp along onlyone edge, with a heavy baskethilt (a protective cup) around thehilt to protect the hand.

The cutlass' basket hiltprovides the following benefits:it gives the wielder a +1 to attackrolls with the Parry maneuver;and it works just the same as aniron gauntlet if the wielderwishes to punch someone withthe hilt rather than slash with theblade. (See the Player'sHandbook, pages 97-98. Bare-hand attacks do 1d2 damage,plus strength bonus, and theother effects of punching fromthe chart on page 97; metalgauntlets and other metal hand-protection makes that 1d3 plusstrength bonus and punchingeffects. Note: An enchantedcutlass, say a cutlass +1, doesnot confer the +1 to attack rollsand damage with these basket-hilt punches . . . only with bladeattacks.)

Proficiency with Cutlassis related to proficiency withshort sword, dagger/dirk,knife/stiletto, and main-gauche.Weapon Specialization withCutlass is normal, except thatyou also get the +1 to attack rollsand +2 damage with thosebasket-hilt punches.

In a campaign withpirates, cutlasses are commonand readily available in any port

community; they are much lesscommon inland.

Belaying Pin

The belaying pin is ashort rod of wood or metal. It'sinserted in a hole bored throughthe ship's rail, and ship's ropesare made fast (tied) to it. It canalso be yanked free and broughtin violent contact with enemies;in a pirate fight, anyone wholoses a weapon or starts outwithout one ends up with abelaying pin in his hand.

Weapon proficiency withBelaying Pin is related to clubsand maces; if you haveproficiency with club or mace,you take only a –1 when using abelaying pin you don't haveproficiency for. Weaponspecialization with belaying pingives the usual benefits.

Belaying pins are veryavailable on any ship; you canget any number of them at aseaside town or city, especially ata shipbuilder's, a warehouse, or abusiness that supplies ships.

Gaff/Hook

The gaff is a metal hookwith a wooden or metal crossbarat the base; it's held in one hand,the hook protruding between themiddle and ring fingers, andnormally used to hook and landfish.

However, like thebelaying pin, it's in ready supplyonboard a ship. Also, manypirates who lose a hand have acup with a gaff on it attached to

the stump, and so always have aweapon "on hand"—one thatcan't be dropped or Disarmed.

Proficiency with the gaffis not related to any otherproficiency. Specialization grantsthe usual benefits.

Samurai Weapons

The exotic, oriental worldfeatures many weapons whichare strange to western eyes . . .including the eyes of the PCs inmost campaigns.

Many of these weaponssimply look a little different andbear different names. Old,familiar weapons with slightlychanged forms and namesinclude: the Battle axe, Handaxe, Dagger (tanto), Halberd,Javelin, Light lance, Mace, Pike,Spear, Long sword, Short sword,Two-handed sword (no-daichi),and Trident. These weapons havegame characteristics identical tothe normal versions, andproficiency with the commonweapon works just as well withthe more exotic version.

The new samurai-societyweapons listed in the chart aboveinclude:

Bo Stick

The bo stick is anordinary hardwood staff, theheight of a man or slightly taller.Bo stick shares a proficiencywith Quarterstaff. If you can useone, you can use the other. (Thisdoesn't mean that the two stylesare identical; an oriental bo stickfighter looks very different in

Chapter 5: Equipmentcombat than a westernquarterstaff combatant. But ifthey traded weapons, they'd bejust as good with the other guy'sweapon . . . each in his ownstyle.) Weapon specialization inbo stick gives you the usualadvantages.

Bo sticks are commoneverywhere; any 6' or 7'hardwood walking staff is a bostaff. To use it as such, however,you have to have the bostick/quarterstaff weaponproficiency. The primarydifference between the weapons,and the reason the quarterstaffdoes more damage against Largemonsters, is that the combatquarterstaff has iron-shod, evenlead-weighted ends. (Aquarterstaff which does not havethese features should do damageidentical to the bo stick.)

Chain

This weapon is a 6' or 10'length of chain with weights atboth ends. In combat, it's whirledvery fast, the weighted endinflicting the damage on thetarget.

The chain combines someof the useful traits of meleeweapons and the lasso. You canattack with it for normal CalledShots, Disarm, Parry, andStrike/Thrust maneuvers.Additionally, you can performthree of the lasso's five specialfunctions: Pull/Trip by striking ata target's legs, Dismount a Rider,and Snag a Rider's Head.

The chain is easy toconceal, and (at least in western

lands) is not usually recognizedas a weapon until wielded asone.

The chain requires itsown weapons proficiency, whichis not related to any otherweapon. Weapon specializationconfers the usual bonuses.

Chains are to be found inany civilization with thetechnological skill to make them(this includes most AD&D®campaign settings), but thetechnique of fighting with themis mostly an eastern-culturedevelopment. A character wouldhave to study with a practitionerof the technique, and be able tospend a weapon proficiency slot,in order to learn how to use theweapon.

Daikyu

The daikyu is the greatsamurai longbow. It's 7' long(hence its size designation of L).Its hand-grip is not in the centerof the weapon; it's located closerto the bottom, so the daikyu canbe fired from horseback andfrom kneeling positions.

As with other bows, thedaikyu can be used to performthe Called Shot, Disarm, HoldAttack, and Strike/Thrust (i.e.,shoot) maneuvers.

The daikyu and katanaare the two principal weapons ofthe samurai.

The daikyu requires itsown weapons proficiency. It isrelated to, but not identical to,other bow proficiencies. Weaponspecialization confers the usualbenefits.

The daikyu is notexported from eastern nations.However, it is a simple task, ifyou are in such a nation, tocommission the making of one.A western bowyer would have tohave studied in the east to makeone.

Katana

The katana is thesamurai's sword. It's a medium-length, slightly curved bladewith no quillions (only a small,circular guard) and a hilt suitablefor one-handed and two-handeduse. The blade is sharpened onlyalong one edge and at the tip, butit is sharpened to a razor's edge.It is forged with a specialtechnique known only in theeast, where layers of steel andiron are sandwiched, heated,folded, stretched, refolded,stretched, re-folded, on and onuntil the blade consists ofmicroscopically thin layers ofalternating metals, providingstrength, resilience, and theability to hold a remarkableedge. This is why the katana hasthe excellent speed and damagelisted for the weapon.

The katana requires itsown weapon proficiency, whichis related to the bastardsword/long blades group.Weapon specialization confersthe usual benefits.

Katanas are verypersonal; a samurai is dishonoredif he loses his, and so very feware lost. This means that it isvery hard to get one in the west,other than by taking it from its

Chapter 5: Equipmentowner—a difficult task. In theeast, a character might be willingto commission one from aweaponsmith, for the listedprice . . . if he gets a goodreaction roll from the NPC. (Anordinary weaponsmith could notmake one. The blade-makingtechnique requires study in theeast and the learning of aspecialized individualweaponsmithing nonweaponproficiency.)

Also, a hero who does afavor or performs a mission foran eastern lord might be awardeda matched set of katana andwakizashi, if he's very lucky; thiswould be a high honor.

Naginata

This is a polearm, a 6' to8' shaft with a curved, sword-likeblade at the end. It's the favoredweapon of the female fighters ofthe orient, but they are notlimited to it, nor is it limited tothem.

Naginata proficiency isrelated to all other polearms.Weapon specialization confersthe usual benefits.

Naginatas are readilyavailable in oriental ports, andsuch weapons are readilyexported, if the DM says there isa market for them.

Nunchaku

The nunchaku consists oftwo lengths of hard woodconnected by a short length ofchain or rope.

The weapon can be used

to perform Called Shots, Disarm,Parry, and Strike/Thrustmaneuvers.

Nunchaku requires itsown proficiency, which is notrelated to any other weaponsproficiency (including flails).Weapon specialization confersthe usual benefits. Masters of theweapon often have weaponspecialization in nunchaku andStyle Specialization in Two-Weapons Style, giving them theability to fight effectively withnunchaku in either hand. Theonly way to acquire thisproficiency is to study withsomeone who already has theproficiency, and to have aproficiency slot available tospend on nunchaku.

Nunchaku are readilyavailable in oriental ports, andsuch weapons are exported;western collectors are quiteenthusiastic about them, even ifthese collectors usually cannotuse them.

Sai

This is a short, defensiveweapon, consisting of a metalbar with a hilt, and oversizedupward-curving quillions. Whenused by someone withproficiency in the weapon, saiconfer a +1 to attack rolls bonuswhen using the Pin and Disarmmaneuvers.

In the chart at the start ofthis chapter, the Sai is listed ashaving two types of damage: P(piercing) and B (bludgeoning).That's not quite right; the normalsai is only a Bludgeoning-

damage weapon. However,certain warriors prefer for it to bea sharp stabbing weapon, so thedamage may be Piercing instead.A sai may only have one type ofdamage, not both.

Sai requires its ownproficiency, which is not relatedto any other. Weaponspecialization confers the usualbenefits. To learn theproficiency, one must study withsomeone who has it, and thecharacter must have a weaponproficiency slot to spend.

Many warriors proficientin the sai take StyleSpecialization in Two-Weapontechnique and utilize twin sai incombat.

Sai are readily availablein oriental ports, and areexported.

Shuriken

Shuriken, often calledthrowing stars, are small thrownweapons. They do as muchdamage as a thrown dagger, andare considerably moreconcealable. Ornamentalshuriken can often be worn asjewelry and not recognized asweapons, and a pocketful ofshuriken weigh no more thanmany other single weapons.

However, shurikenrequire their own weaponproficiency, which is not relatedto any other. Weaponspecialization confers the usualbenefits. To learn shurikenproficiency, one must study withsomeone who has it, and musthave a weapon proficiency slot

Chapter 5: Equipmentto spend.

Shuriken are available inoriental ports, but mostoccidental collectors don't knowhow to use them.

Tetsubo

The tetsubo is a longwalking-staff, its upper end shodwith studded iron strips.

Its weapon proficiency isrelated to other polearms;specialization confers the usualbenefits.

Tetsubos can be had inoriental markets, but none areexported because it is a relativelysimple weapon to make.

Wakizashi

The wakizashi is theshort-sword companion of thekatana. Its blade is forged thesame way, and the weapon lookslike a shorter version of thekatana. It is often part of amatched set with the katana, andis of almost equal importance asthe katana to the samurai. Onlysamurai can wear both katanaand wakizashi.

Wakizashi proficiency isrelated to short sword.Specialization confers the usualbenefits. Many samurai fightwith the katana in one hand andwakizashi in the other, in two-weapon technique, and somelearn the two-weapon stylespecialization to further improvetheir ability with this style.

Wakizashis are as hard tocome by as katanas.

Note

The AD&D® gamesupplement Oriental Adventuresdescribes many, many otherweapons and provides a lot ofresource material for orientalcharacters and campaigns. Acertain amount of conversion isrequired, as the supplement waswritten for the first-edition game.

Savage Weapons

The lump term "savages"is being used here to refer to anynumber of different types ofpeople. They have in commonthese traits: They're not astechnologically advanced as thenormal peoples of the campaign,though some do make weaponsof bronze or iron; and they'reprobably hunter-gatherers whohave not yet embraced theagricultural revolution. Andthat's really all they have to havein common. "Savages" might behighly cultured, artistic, peacefulpeoples, but if they have dirtfloors or flinttipped weapons, therest of the world calls themsavage. For our purposes,"savages" encompassesNeanderthal man, Old Stone AgeCromagnon, and New Stone Agemodern men.

Stereotypical savagesknow the following weapons:Blowgun (mostly jungle tribes),Long and Short bow (nocomposite bows), Club, Dagger,Hand/Throwing Axe, Javelin,Knife, Sling, and Spear.

Depending on their levelof technological development,

they may make their weapons(including arrowheads, spear-heads, etc.) out of iron, bronze,stone or even bone.

For our purposes, ironand bronze weapons have thesame characteristics as steelweapons; it's not worthgenerating all-new weapon statsfor the slight game-mechanicdifferences.

Stone and bone weapons,on the other hand, require theirown statistics, which is whythey're represented on theweapon chart at the top of thechapter.

Stone Weapons

Stone weapons are usedjust like their moderncounterparts, but are worth lessmoney, do less damage, and aremore prone to shattering.

The damages and costs(should some ever be sold on themarket) for these weapons aregiven on the chart above.

Stone weapons have achance of breaking every timethey hit and do damage. Everytime a stone weapon successfullyhits a target, the player must roll1d6. Regardless of the roll, thisattack does its full damage, buton a roll of 1 on the 1d6, theweapon or weapon-head shattersand is useless.

Bone Weapons

Bone weapons arelikewise used like their moderncounterparts, but are worth evenless money, can only be used

Chapter 5: Equipmentwith smaller stabbing weapons(knives and daggers), and shattereven more readily—on a roll of 1or 2 on 1d6.

Other Uses for Stone and BoneWeapons

Generally, no one in hisright mind is going to trade innice, modern steel weapons forbone or stone counterparts. Butcharacters don't always have thechoice.

Characters with theSavage warrior kit start out withthe level of weapons the DMdecides for him: "Modern," stoneor bone. In a campaign wheremost savages are simply hunter-gatherers who live at a certaindistance from the PCs' culture,but who trade and interact withthem, modern weapons are fine.When the savage culture is faraway and more technologicallyprimitive, stone weapons aremore appropriate. If the savagesare supposed to be very primitiveindeed, bone weapons are theproper choice. In all likelihood,these savage characters, reachingmore advanced lands and seeinghow much more damage moremodern weapons will do, willmake the switch. . . thoughthey're likely to stick to the typesof weapons they know best(spears, bows, daggers, etc.).

Remember, though, thatthe club is the same weaponregardless of technologicaladvancement; the surliestcaveman can make a club thathas the weapon stats of the mostmodern baseball bat.

Also, player-charactersmight find themselves strippedof weapons and cast adrift in thewilderness. If they wantweapons, they'll have to makethem, possibly of stone or bone.For these purposes, too, theweapon stats above can beuseful.

Swashbuckler Weapons

Swashbuckler weaponsare light, fast weapons used bylightly-armored opponents,usually in an environment (aculture, nation or even just acity) where heavier arms andarmor are illegal or outdated.They're also appropriate forshipboard campaigns andsituations; the light armor iseasier to get out of so you don'tdrown if you fall overboard. So,usually, swashbucklers emerge inan area where the days of theplatearmored, broadsword-wielding knight are past . . . or atleast numbered. Swashbucklercharacters might bolt on the platemail and pick up the lance forgenuine warfare, but in theircosmopolitan big-city adventuresthey stick to the lighter stuff . . .and can be sure that most of theopponents they face will belikewise armed and armored.

Weapons from thePlayer's Handbook which can beconsidered swashbucklerweapons include: Bows (alltypes), Crossbows (all availabletypes), Dagger/Dirk, Knife,Polearms (all types), and ShortSwords. The only sorts of shieldsthey use regularly are bucklers

and small shields, and they tendto wear only leather, padded, andhide armor.

The new weapons listedon the chart above include:

Stiletto

The stiletto is a type ofnarrow-bladed knife, sharp onlyat the point. Its most unusualtrait is that it confers a +2 (non-magical) bonus to attack rollsagainst certain armor types: Platemail (bronze and normal), ringmail, and chain mail. (This isbecause its narrow point andblade slip in more readilythrough any sort of armor that isnot solid metal or overlappingplates of metal.)

It otherwise behaves likeany other knife, and Knifeweapon proficiency is exactlythe same as Stiletto weaponproficiency: If you know one,you know the other equally well,at no additional cost inproficiency slots.

Main-gauche

The main-gauche is alarge-bladed dagger with abasket hilt (see the description ofCutlass, above) and largequillions. Though it is a stabbingweapon, it's primarily adefensive weapon wielded in theleft-hand in two-weapontechnique (or two-weapon stylespecialization).

When used by someonewith Main-gauche weaponproficiency, the weapon confersa +1 bonus to attack rolls with

Chapter 5: Equipmentthe Disarm and Parry maneuvers.Because of its cutlass-like baskethilt, the main-gauche, too, workslike an iron gauntlet if thewielder wishes to punchsomeone with the hilt rather thanslash with the blade.

Main-gauche proficiencyis related to, but not identical to,dagger proficiency.Specialization confers the usualbenefits.

Rapier

The rapier is a long-bladed, one-handed sword,normally sharp only at the point.It's a thrusting weapon, wieldedwith lightning-like thrusts andlunges. Swashbucklers oftenlearn Two-Weapon StyleSpecialization and use rapierwith rapier, with maingauche,with short sword, or with dagger,stiletto, or knife. It's alsooccasionally used with buckler.

Rapier requires its ownproficiency, which is related tosabre proficiency—not longsword and its related weapons.Weapon specialization confersthe usual benefits.

You can have a rapiermade with a basket hilt. Thisadds 2 gp to the cost, +1 lb. Tothe weight, and confers thenormal basket-hilt benefits: +1 toattack rolls with Parry maneuver,and the iron-gauntlet benefit forPunching.

Sabre

The sabre is a lightslashing weapon. Its practitioners

WgtArmor Piece Cost (lbs)Belt:

Protective metal belt at waist 2 gp 5Cuirass:

Leather or metal chest plate 50 gp 20Fasciae:

Leather bands on legs 10 gp 5Galea:

Visored Helm 10 gp 5Galerus:

Shoulder piece on weapon shoulder 5 gp 3Manicae:

Leather sleeve 10 gp 5Myrrmillo:

Visored helm resembling sea fish 10 gp 5commonly use only sabre, andoften take Single-Weapon StyleSpecialization and SabreWeapon Specialization. Theyare very deadly with their bladesand may be inordinately proudof the facial scars theyaccumulate (and deal out).

Sabre requires its ownproficiency, which is related torapier proficiency.

Sabres, like cutlasses andmain-gauches, are made with abasket hilt. This confers thenormal basket-hilt benefits: +1to attack rolls with Parrymaneuver, and the iron gauntletbenefit for Punching.

New Armor

Some of the new warriortypes represented by the warriorkits also have their own specialforms of armor: the Gladiatorand Samurai both introduce newforms of armor to the campaign.

Gladiator Armor

There are three normaltypes of gladiator armor:Thracian, Gallic, and Samnite.

Armor Type Class

Thracian 9Gallic 7Samnite 5

They're all made up fromseveral smaller pieces of armor,which include above:

Also used by thegladiators are the parma (asmall shield, either square orround) and scutum (an oblongmedium shield).

These armor types arenamed for real-world sites(Thrace, Gaul, and Samnos); ifyou have gladiators in yourcampaign, you may want torename these types according toplace-names more appropriate toyour setting.

Chapter 5: EquipmentThracian

The Thracian gladiatorwears only fasciae on his legs.This gives him AC 9, or 8 with ashield—and he carries a shield, aparma. In gladiatorial combat,the Thracian gladiator fights onlywith a dagger. In the field,adventuring, he could useanything he wants.

Gallic

The Gallic gladiatorwears the galea, the belt, manicaon his weapon arm, and fasciae.This confers an AC of 7. He alsocarries a scutum, to bring it to a6. The Gallic gladiator fightswith any number of weapons.

Samnite

The most heavily-armored type of gladiator, theSamnite, wears a cuirass, fasciaeon his legs, manica on hisweapon arm, and the galeahelmet. His basic AC is 5, or 4with the scutum he carries.

Should someone justwear the cuirass, his base ACwould be 7.

Samurai Armor

The main differencebetween oriental and occidentalarmor, from a gamemechanicspoint of view, is descriptive.Oriental armor is colorful andelaborately constructed, oftenbrightly enamelled or decoratedwith paint or painted leathers,silk cords, precious-metal

plating, etc.But from a game-

mechanic point of view, leatherarmor is leather armor, plate isplate. Samurai wear armor that isthe equivalent of padded leather,studded leather, scale mail, andbrigandine; basic costs, weights,and AC values are identical tothe western armor styles.However, a samurai may wish tospend more than the minimumamount on his armor; the extramoney goes into making it aremarkable example of easternart.

Kote

The samurai also haveone sort of armor unknown to thewest: The kote. This is a pair ofarmored sleeves which may beworn concealed under thesamurai's tunic.

Mechanically, the kotecosts twice as much as and actsalmost the same as a buckler.There are a couple of differencesbetween buckler and kote,though. Kote cannot beDisarmed, and you can useweapons in the hands of the armsto which kote are attacked.Although the kote consists of apair of sleeves, you do not get a+2 bonus to AC; only the +1normally conferred by a buckler.

Effects of Armor

Here are some optionalrules for use with the wearing ofarmor in your campaign. Youmay wish to use some, all, ornone of these; we'll try to discuss

what effects each will have onyour campaign.

A lot of the informationwe'll be discussing andelaborating upon is contained inthe following charts.

The armor a characterwears affects his AC, hisEncumbrance (if that optionalsystem is used), and also hisability to perform dexterousactions—in other words, heavierarmor penalizes a character'sDexterity score for purposes ofDexterity ability checks andDexterity-based nonweaponproficiencies.

A character's choice ofhead protection, on the otherhand, affects his Encumbrance,his ability to spot things, and theability of some weapons andattacks to affect him in combat,as we'll discuss further on.

Effects On AC

The effects of armor onthe characters' AC are alreadywell-documented within thegame.

In the campaign, the onlyfeature of the armor/AC systemthat tends to cause troubleinvolves the shield. Rememberthat attacks to the character's rearare made at the character's ACwithout the shield (unless he'swearing it slung across his back,of course); this is something thatis easy to forget. DMs, if theydon't keep the informationwritten on a helpful record sheet,should ask their players: "What'syour AC from the rear?" when

Chapter 5: EquipmentArmor Dex WgtType AC Chks (lbs)Banded mail 4 –2 35Brigandine 6 –2 35Bronze plate mail 4 –3 45Chain mail 5 –2 40Field plate 2 –3 60Full plate 1 –3 70Gladiator

Gallic 7 –1 15Samnite 5 –2 30Thracian 9 0 5

Hide 6 –3 30Leather 8 0 15Padded 8 0 10Plate mail 3 –3 50Ring mail 7 –1 50Scale mail 6 –2 30Shield

Body * –3** 15Buckler/Kote * –0** 3Medium/Scutum * –2** 10Small/Parma * –1** 5

Splint mail 4 –2 40Studded leather 7 –1 25

* A shield makes the AC one better: Leather + shield is AC 7.** This penalty is only counted for certain situations; see below.

Helmet Vis. Hrg. Wgt.Type (lbs)Cap –0 –1 2Coif –0 –1 2Close–Faced –2 –3 5Great helm –3 –4 10None –0 –0 0Open–Faced –1 –2 5

to Dexterity checks (anddexterity-based nonweaponproficiencies) when the characteris in armor; those penalties arelisted on the armor chart above.

These penalties areapplied when the character isusing all nonweaponproficiencies except Riding(Land-based or Airborne) orCharioteering, which are exemptfrom the penalty. (Why someonewould be performing many ofthose skills in armor is a mystery. . . but it could happen.)

In addition, the penaltyprescribed for the shields isapplied when the character is

such incidents come up, not just"What's your AC?"

Effects On Speed

There's a misconceptionthat armor, particularly plate-type armor, transforms gracefulwarriors into lumbering oafs whocan be pushed down and satupon with comparative ease.

Nothing could be furtherfrom the truth. Armor is designedto be as accommodating aspossible to a fighter'smovements, and so the AD&D®game doesn't assign an armoredwarrior any sort of initiative

penalty for wearing armor.Now, armor isn't made

for some other types ofmovement (acrobatics, dancing,etc.) and so will constrict manyother Dexterity-based abilities,as we'll discuss below. It is alsoheavy, which slows down anarmored character's runningspeed, as is already documentedin the game.

Effects On Dexterity Checks

Armor does interfere witha character's gracefulness inmany situations. For this reason,we assign the character a penalty

using the nonweaponproficiencies Juggling, TightropeWalking and Tumbling. (TheDM may choose to disallow theshield penalty for certainexamples of these skills' use. Forexample, a character who isjuggling a one-handed techniquewon't be put off by having ashield on the other hand. Butthese exceptions will be rare.)

Chapter 5: EquipmentIn the Campaign . . .

These dexterity-rollpenalties are provided only forthose gamers to whom the mattermeans something. If you don'tcare about such things, don't usethese rules: they'd merely be anannoyance and extracomplication for you.

But if you prefer for acharacter to be a little lessgraceful when in full plate orhide than in soft leather or noarmor at all, these rules are foryour campaign.

Effects On Vision and Hearing

Helms and helmetsrestrict vision and hearing. Theyframe the face, obscure hisvision, muffle his hearing, andgenerally give the character lessability to observe what's goingon around him. (They alsosometimes keep maces fromcaving in his skull, which is whyfighters like helms and helmets.)

With these optional rules,we'll talk about different kinds ofhelms and helmets, how they'reused, and what other effects theyhave in combat.

Other Helms and Helmets

The types of armor listedin the equipment section of thePlayer's Handbook, page 69,include only two types of helmet(great helm and basinet) and thendon't really describe what thedifferences are between them . . .other than price and weight.

In The Complete

Fighter's Handbook, we'll talkabout six different types of headprotection. Each one hasdifferent effects on thecharacter's ability to see thingsand to protect himself fromdifferent types of damage.

What Head Protection Doesn'tDo

The one thing yourchoice of head protection doesn'tdo is change your Armor Class.A warrior can have on full plateand a great helm, or full plateand no helmet at all, and he'llhave the same AC. So whenmaking your choice of headprotection for your character,don't worry about the character'sAC, for it won't be affected.

Vision and Hearing Checks

In a combat or any otherloud situation (such as a raucoustavern, a charging mob, anearthquake, a hurricane, or asinging contest at a dwarvenboiler-making plant), the DMmay want his PCs to makeVision and Hearing Checks inorder to see and hear certainthings.

Certainly, when a fighteris pointed in a certain direction,there's nothing distracting him,and an ogre is lumbering at himfrom that direction, the fighter isgoing to see the ogre. No roll isnecessary.

But when there's a chancethat the character could fail tonotice such a thing (as definedby the DM), the character gets to

make a Vision Check or aHearing Check (whichever thesituation calls for).

A Vision or HearingCheck is a 1d20 roll against thecharacter's Intelligence orWisdom, whichever is higher. Ifthe PC rolls his ability or less,he's successfully made his checkand can see or hear whatever it ishe's supposed to. If he fails, hedoesn't.

Protective headgear,however, provides penalties tothe character's Vision andHearing Checks, as well asproviding other benefits andhindrances.

No Head Protection

If a character chooses towear no head protection at all, hesuffers no Vision or Hearingcheck penalties.

However, the characterhas one hindrance, if you'reusing the optional hit locationrules from the Combat Ruleschapter.

If a character is wearingno head protection, an attackercan make a Called Shot againsthis head and thereby ignore thecharacter's AC benefits fromarmor. (All bonuses from shields,high Dexterity scores, andmagical items still count,however.) Since this is a verydifficult shot (a total –8 to attackrolls, remember), this doesn't dothe attacker much good, unlessthe victim is otherwise heavilyarmored.

Chapter 5: EquipmentExample: Halway the

archer has two possible targets,Territor and Bosque, two brutalguards. Territor is wearingleather armor and no headgear;this puts him at AC 8, and withhis Dexterity bonus he's AC 6.Bosque is wearing full plate +2,no headgear, and body shield;this puts him at AC –2.

Halway, after allmodifiers for range, hisDexterity, and other factors, isTHAC0 16. (He's a 6th-levelwarrior, with a Dexterity of 16,and is firing at Medium Range.)

If he shoots at Territor,AC 6, he needs only a (16–6) 10or better to hit him. If he shootsat Territor's unprotected head,the shot becomes much harder;he's shooting at AC 8 (AC 10, –2for Territor's Dexterity), and sowould normlly need a (16–8) 8;but with the –8 to attack rolls fora head shot, he's back to a roll of16 or better. It's easier for him tohit Territor with a normal, non-specific shot.

If he shoots at Bosque,AC –2, he needs to roll an (16–{–2}) 18 or better to hit him. Ifhe shoots at Bosque'sunprotected head, the shotbecomes somewhat easier; he'sshooting at AC 9 (AC 10,modified by Bosque's shield),and so would normally need a(16–9) 7; with the –8 to attackrolls for a head shot, he's up to aroll of 15 or better. This makes itslightly easier to hit Bosque, andmay give him the special effectsof the head location shot if hesucceeds, so that's the shot heattempts.

The lower (better) atarget's AC is, the better anoption it is to try a head shot, ifhis head is unprotected and therest of his body is armored.Characters interested in thisoption should calculate the mathof both shots and compare theresults, if they know all therelative ACs and modifiers; ifthey don't, they should ask theDM, in general terms, if it's evenworth their time to try such ashot.

The Cap

The Cap is a padded,leather or even steel skullcapwhich is about the size of andworn much like a close-fittingcap, beret or hat. It gives thewearer no penalty for VisionChecks, and a –1 penalty withHearing Checks (as it partiallycovers the ears). It's often wornin conjunction with padded,leather, hide, studded leather, andother lightweight armors.

The Coif

The Coif is a paddedchain mail hood; it fits fairlysnugly around the neck and overall the head except the face fromchin to forehead. Like the Cap, itgives the wearer no penalty forVision Checks and only a –1penalty with Hearing Checks. It'susually worn with chain mail.

Often, a heavily-armoredknight will wear a chain mailcoif and wear a Great Helm overit. The only benefit this confersis that such a knight can remove

his Great Helm, the better to seeand hear around him, and stillhave some head protection. As adisadvantage, it adds a littleweight to the knight's equipment,but it does not decrease hisVision and Hearing checks anyfurther than just wearing theGreat Helm.

The Open-Face Helmet

The Open-Faced Helmet,made of reinforced leather, or ofmetal, covers the back, sides andtop of the face, leaving most ofthe face open. It gives the wearera –1 penalty with Vision Checks,and a –2 penalty with HearingChecks (it completely covers theears, usually with small holes orgrating over the ears so that thewearer can hear at all).

Examples include theCorinthian helmets of ancientGreece. In a medieval campaign,open-faced helmets are oftenworn by military officers andsoldiers who can afford theprotection.

The Closed-Face Helmet

The Closed-Face Helmetis made of metal and is muchlike the Open-Faced Helmet . . .except that there is armor plate,often in the form of a visorwhich may be opened, in front ofthe face. It gives the wearer a –2penalty with Vision Checks, anda –3 penalty with HearingChecks.

Examples include thebasinet mentioned in thePlayer's Handbook, the galea

Chapter 5: Equipmentand myrrmillo mentioned for thegladiators (above), and manyother combat helmets. Manyknights and other mountedwarriors wear helmets of thistype.

If the wearer of a Closed-Face Helmet is also wearingplate mail or field plate armor, hegets a +1 to saving throws vs.dragon breath, and to spells suchas burning hands, pyrotechnics,fire ball, flaming sphere, wall offire, delayed blast fireball,incendiary cloud, and meteorswarm, and other fire-basedspells and magical effects (asdetermined by the DM).

If someone uses a Lasso,Chain, or Bolas in an effort tosnare a rider's head, and thatrider is wearing a Closed-FaceHelmet, the victim gets to roll1d6. On a 4–6, the attack ishandled normally, but on a 1–3,the attack is treated just as anormal lasso or chain dismount;the attacker doesn't do the extradamage that the head-lassoattack normally allows.

The Great Helm

The Great Helm is amassive helm which covers theentire head, from the top of thehead to the top of the shoulders,leaving slits open for the eyesand holes open for breathing; ithas no removable visor. It givesthe wearer a –3 penalty withVision Checks, and a –4 penaltywith Hearing Checks.

The Great Helm providesthe following other benefits:

The wearer of a Great

Helm gets a +2 saving throw vs.wizard spells such as hypnotism,light cast on his eyes, blindness,hypnotic pattern, suggestion, firecharm, rainbow pattern, andsome other mind-controllingspells . . . but not charm person,charm monster, or domination.

If the wearer of a GreatHelm is also wearing plate mailor field plate armor, he gets a +2to saving throws vs. dragonbreath, and to spells such asburning hands, pyrotechnics, fireball, flaming sphere, wall of fire,delayed blast fireball, incendiarycloud, and meteor swarm, andother fire-based spells andmagical effects (as determinedby the DM). If, instead of platemail or field plate, he is wearingfull plate, the bonus is a +3 tosaving throws.

If someone uses a Lasso,Chain, or Bolas in an effort tosnare a rider's head, and thatrider is wearing a Great Helm,the attack is automaticallytreated just as a normal attack.With lasso or chain, it's a normallasso or chain dismount, and theattacker doesn't do the extradamage that the head-lassoattack normally allows. WithBolas, the attack does normaldamage, but no strangulationdamage.

In the Campaign . . .

If you use these rules in acampaign, you add some colorand distinction between the typesof armor that your PCs will bewearing. On the other hand, onceagain, it's an added level of

complexity which the gamedoesn't have to have. Use theserules only if the addedcomplexity doesn't bother you,and if the special functions of thedifferent types of helmets appealto you.

Variant Armor

The types of armor givenin the Player's Handbook are allyou need to play the game.However, you can use othertypes of armor in your campaign;here, we'll talk about twodifferent types of alternativearmor.

Racial Armor

It's asking a lot tosuppose that elves will maketheir armor just as humans maketheirs, that it will look the sameand function identically. Here aresome ways to make the armorsof different races moreindividual.

Armor Fitting

Armor made for one racerarely fits another; it may be toobig, too small, or proportionedtoo strangely.

Below is a chart. Thecolumn to the left shows the typeof demihuman trying to wear thearmor. The rows along the topshow what species the armor wasmade for. The percentagechances shown are the chancesthat the person can wear thearmor, and the "+" and "–"symbols show whether the armor

Chapter 5: EquipmentRaceTrying ToWear Armor Race For Which Armor Was Built:Armor: Dwf Elf Gnm 1/2 Elf 1/2–lg HumDwarf 80% 0% – 10% – 10% – 35% – 40% +Elf 10% + 90% 50% – 70% + 35% + 50% +Gnome 40% + 40% + 75% 25% + 60% + 20% +Half-Elf 20% + 45% 10% + 70% 35% + 50%Halfling 75% + 30% – 35% – 35% + 70% 20% +Human 50% – 20% – 5% – 30% – 10% – 65%

is more likely to be too big or toosmall for the wearer. (If there isno such symbol, it means thatodds are even, 50% that it will betoo big, 50% that it will be toosmall.) "Too large" could meanthat it is so baggy or empty thatit hinders the wearer and doesnot protect him well enough, orthat it is so long on him that itinterferes with his walking. "Toosmall" could mean that it is notbroad enough to accommodatethe wearer's chest, or that it is soshort that it looks ridiculous anddoes not sufficiently protect thewearer.

Now, at the DM'sdiscretion, many things canaffect these percentage chances.

If a character of one sexis trying to put on armor built foranother sex, chances go downthat it will fit. The chance isreduced 10% (but never goesbelow 5%). If a fit fails becauseof that modifier, it's because thewoman found the man's armortoo big, or the man found thewoman's too small.

However, the DM mayallow the difference in sex tohelp sometimes—in cases wherethe armor is not likely to fit amale human because it is toosmall in the shoulders and chest.A human woman trying to put ona male half-elf's armor might beat no modifier, and find herself ata +10% modifier to wear a maleelf's armor.

Remember that full platehas its own modifiers forchances to fit; it has only a 20%chance to fit another member ofthe same race (10% if the newwearer is of the other sex). Acharacter cannot wear full platemade for a character of anotherrace, period.

The DM can allowpreviously role-playeddeterminations of a character'sheight and build to affect thechances from the chart below.For instance, if one player hasalways said that his humancharacter was short and stocky,say 5'4" and powerfully built, sothat many people joked abouthim having a dwarvish ancestor,the DM can give him a +15%chance to wear dwarvish armor;this raises his chance from 50%to 65%, as if he were a human

trying to wear armor of his ownkind. The DM should, however,subtract that same modifier fromthe character's chance to weararmor built for humans; thatchance would go down from65% to 50%.

Example: An adventuringparty kills a beholder in its lairand finds the armor worn byprevious victims. Theadventurers include a hugehuman male barbarian, aslender human female warrior, adwarf axeman, and a femalegnome. The dead victims includean elf male in enchanted chainmail and a halfling male inenchanted leather. The heroessee who can wear the capturedarmor.

The DM decidesarbitrarily that the humanbarbarian cannot even roll. He'salways described himself asbeing massive, with enormousrippling muscles and abodybuilder's physique. In thiscampaign, that often helps himwith the ladies, but this time itdisqualifies him from wearingany of the treasure.

The slender humanwarrioress tries the elf's chainmail. A human trying on elf

Chapter 5: Equipmentarmor, on the chart above, has a20% to wear it successfully. TheDM raises her chance 10%because she is a female humantrying to fit into male elf armor;her build is at an advantagehere. He raises it 10% furtherbecause in the campaign she hasalways described herself as ofdelicate build, very slender. Thisraises her chance to 40%. Sherolls 38 on percentile dice; shecan wear the chain. She alsotries the enchanted leather. Ahuman woman trying to wearmale halfling armor is at 10%,and the DM again assigns herthe +20% from the two modifiersmentioned. She has a 30%chance, but rolls a 79; shecannot wear it.

The dwarf axeman triesthe elvish chain. A dwarf tryingto wear elf armor has a 0%chance to wear it. He can't. Hehas a 35% chance to wear thehalfling's armor; the DM lowersthat to 25% because thischaracter has always describedhimself as especially burly for adwarf. But he rolls 03 onpercentile dice; he can wear theenchanted leather.

The female gnome triesthe elvish chain. She has a base40% chance to wear it. The DMdoes not modify it for her sex.She rolls a 51 and fails. She triesthe leather; she has a base 60%chance with it, –10% fordifferent gender equals 50%. Sherolls a 33 and can wear it.

So the human warrioressgets the chain mail, and thedwarf and gnome must chooseor gamble to decide who gets the

leathers.

High-Quality Racial Armor

Armor found as treasurehas a chance to be high-qualityarmor. Ordinary armor has a10% chance on percentile dice;magical armor has a 25%chance.

Each race adds somethingdifferent to its armor if it is high-quality.

Dwarves: High-Qualitydwarvish armor is very, veryresistant to damage. WheneverHigh-Quality dwarvish armormust make a saving throw (seethe Dungeon Master Guide, page39.), it gets a +6 to save inaddition to any bonuses itreceives if it is magical.Additionally, if you use the"Damage to Armor" rulesdescribed later in this chapter, allHigh-Quality dwarvish armorhas twice the number of damagepoints of ordinary armor.

Elves: High-Qualityelvish armor is one- half theweight of ordinary armor; itconstitutes "elven steel" (see thechart on page 38 of the DungeonMaster Guide).

Gnomes: Gnomes makevery quiet studded and paddedleather armors; these are the onlyHigh-Quality armors they make.High-Quality gnome armor doesnot take any penalties on the"Thieving Skill ArmorAdjustment" table (Player'sHandbook, page 39, lastcolumn); thus, a gnome thief ordual-class thief does not suffer a–30% when picking pockets, or a

–20% when moving silently, etc.Half-Elves: Half-Elf

armorers do not make any High-Quality leather armor, paddedarmor, studded leather, hidearmor, or bronze plate mail. Alltheir other armors can be madeas High-Quality armor. High-Quality half-elf armor is madefrom fine steel; it is –10% theweight of ordinary armor of thesame kind, fine steel, for normalthickness, –10% weight, and getsa +2 to saving throws (on the"Metal" column on page 39 ofthe Dungeon Master Guide).

Halflings: Halflings onlymake leather armor as High-Quality armor. Their High-Quality leather armor counts as"No Armor" on the ThievingSkill Armor Adjustment table(Player's Handbook, page 39).

Humans: Humans makeall types of armor as High-Quality armor. This is especiallytough armor; whatever it is madeof, it is +2 to saving throws onthe appropriate line of the "ItemSaving Throws" chart on page 39of the Dungeon Master Guide.Also, plate mail (not includingbronze plate), field plate, and fullplate made to High-Qualityspecifications is made of finesteel, but instead of being lighterthan usual, it is built thicker inorder to make it more resistant todamage. It is +4 to saving throwson that "Item Saving Throws"chart, and is normal weight.Also, it gives the wearer a +2 tosaving throws vs. Rod, Staff, orWand and Breath Weaponattacks. In addition, if you areusing the "Damage to Armor"

Chapter 5: Equipmentrules found later in this chapter,it has one and a half times thenormal damage points for thetype of armor it is.

Other Notes on High-QualityRacial Armor

All the abovedescriptions were for wornarmor, not shields. High-Qualityshields do not impart any specialbonus unless you're using the"Damage to Armor" rules, inwhich case they have twice asmany damage points as thenormal sort of shield.

How much does it cost tobuy a set of High-Quality racialarmor? First, the DM has todecide whether there is anyavailable to sell. Usually, theanswer will be no; there is only a1% chance that a normal villagearmorer's will have made anypiece of high-quality armor tosell, and that will be racial armorof the armorer's race. The chancegoes up to 5% in a big city, or25% if you're looking for racialarmor of the race that is mostcommon in the city. Thus, to findhigh-quality dwarvish armor, goto a big dwarf community . . .and there your chances are stilllow.

But if you find whatyou're looking for, or are able tohire an armorer to build you aset, it costs ten times the normalcost of the armor. High-qualitydwarf plate mail, then, wouldcost 6,000 gp. Often, it's notworth the price to the adventurer.

In no case will an elvishcraftsman custom-make a set of

High-Quality elvish armor forsomeone. Such armor is onlymade for the elvish royalty, andtheir kings sometimes bestow apiece on a non-elf hero . . . butonly for deeds of exceptionalvalor which have helped theelves.

Another questionadventurers are sure to ask: Canan armorer of one race build hisown type of High-Quality armorfor another race? For example,can a master gnome armorerbuild High-Quality gnome armorfor a human?

The answer is yes.Instead of costing ten times thenormal cost of the armor, theprice is 15 times the normal cost.But it can be done. Again,though, an elf armorer will nevermake High-Quality armorer foranyone but his rulers.

Custom-built High-Quality armor takes four times aslong to make as normal, averagearmor.

Piecemeal Armor

What happens when acharacter takes a heavy metalbreastplate from a set of fieldplate and then wears chain mailsleeves and leggings and aleather armor cap? (That is, whathappens other than he looksstupid?)

Characters can weararmor assembled out of theremnants of other, mismatchedsets of armor. It's not as good,and certainly not as good-looking, as wearing a matchedsuit. But sometimes necessity

dictates that characters wearwhat's on hand.

When you're assemblinga full suit of armor out of pieceson hand, the first thing to do is tosee what you have. Compareyour armor on hand with thechart on the next page.

Example: A character isrobbed of all his worldly goods.Later, he finds the aftermath of abattle, with a couple of deadwarriors still in their armor. Onebody wears a badly battered setof field plate (of which thebreastplate is intact), while theother wears a full suit of chainmail (of which the chest isriddled with holes and one leg isdestroyed).

He tries to piece thistogether into a suit for him. Hetakes the field-plate'sbreastplate. Looking at thechart, we see it grants an ACbonus of 4. He also takes thefield-plate's two arms. Lookingat the chart, we see they grantan AC bonus of 2. He takes thesurviving chain mail leg.Looking at the chart, we see thatit grants an AC bonus of 0.(He'll also take the survivinghelm or helmet from one of thesewarriors, so that he'll have somearmor on his head in case of aCalled Shot to the Head.)

His AC bonus is 6, so hisAC now is 4—not too bad. Ifthere's a shield, he'll have an ACof 3. If someone takes a CalledShot to his unarmored leg, he'llbe at AC 10 (or 9 with theshield), as per the Combat Ruleschapter, but that attacker will

Chapter 5: Equipment

Bonus to AC Per Type of Piece:Armor Full Breast- Two One Two OneType Suit Plate Arms Arm Legs LegBanded Mail 6 3 2 1 1 0Brigandine 4 2 1 0 1 0Bronze plate 6 3 2 1 1 0Chain mail 5 2 2 1 1 0Field Plate 8 4 2 1 2 1Full plate 9 4 3 1 2 1Hide armor 4 2 1 0 1 0Leather armor 2 1 1 0 0 0Padded armor 2 1 1 0 0 0Plate mail 7 3 2 1 2 1Ring mail 3 1 1 0 1 0Scale mail 4 2 1 0 1 0Splint mail 6 3 2 1 1 0Studded leather 3 1 1 0 1 0

take a –4 penalty to attack rollsfor the Called Shot maneuver.

Weight of Piecemeal Suits

To calculate the weight ofa piecemeal suit of armor, followthese guidelines:

The breastplate is 1/2the weight of the original suit.

Each arm and leg is 1/8the weight of the original suit.

About Magical Armor

If a suit of magical armoris used for one of thesepiecemeal efforts, it grants noneof its magical bonus; once themagical armor is split into littlebits, or pieces are merelyseparated and not worn together,the magical bonus doesn't work.

Gladiator Armor

These rules for piecemeal

armor are, in effect, how thetypes of Gladiator Armordescribed in this chapter arebuilt.

Thracian armor consistsof fasciae, the equivalent of Hidearmor worn on two legs—thusan AC bonus of 1, for an AC of9.

Gallic armor consists offasciae (Hide armor on two legs),one manica (the equivalent ofSplint Mail on one arm, thus anAC bonus of 1), and a protectivemetal belt. The belt is a specialpiece of gladiator armor; itconstitutes half a breastplate ofHide armor in both weight an ACbonus, so it grants an AC bonusof 1. All together, Gallic armorgrants an AC bonus of 3, for afinal AC of 7. Note: The armorbelt cannot be worn in additionto a Breastplate, only instead ofone.

Samnite armor consistsof a cuirass (a splint mail

equivalent breastplate conferringan AC bonus of 3), and splint-equivalent armor on one arm(AC bonus of 1) and both legs(AC bonus of 1), for a final ACof 5.

The piece of armor calledthe Galerus, worn on the weaponshoulder, does not add anythingto the AC bonus; it is consideredpart of the sleeve or breastplate.

Damage to Armor

It's easiest in a campaignjust not to worry about thedamage that armor and shieldsare taking. It's presumed thatcharacters go on adventures, getin fights, and during some oftheir off-hours they repair theirarmor.

If you want knowprecisely how much damage apiece of armor can take beforebeing destroyed, and how torepair damaged armor (without

Chapter 5: EquipmentArmor Type AC DPBanded Mail 4 30Barding Chain 5 50Full plate 2 80Full scale 6 40Half brigandine 7 30Half padded 9 10Half scale 7 30Leather/Padded 8 20Brigandine 6 20Bronze plate 4 30Chain mail 5 25Field Plate 2 40Full plate 1 45Gladiator

Gallic 7 15Samnite 5 25Thracian 9 5

HelmsCap +0 5Coif +0 15Close-Faced* +0 25Great +0 35Open-Faced +0 20

Hide armor 6 20Leather armor 8 10Padded armor 8 10Plate mail 3 35Ring mail 7 15Scale mail 6 20Shields

Body +1 35Buckler +1 10Medium +1 25Small +1 10

Splint mail 4 30Studded leather 7 15

* Includes basinet, galea,myrmillo

the PCs necessarily having to doso themselves), you can use thefollowing rules.

Damage Points

Every time a characterwearing armor is hit anddamaged by an attack, his armortakes damage, too. It takes 1Damage Point per blow that hits.If an attack hits for 1 point ofdamage, the armor takes 1 DP. Ifan attack hits for 10 points ofdamage, the armor takes 1 DP.

Shields only take damagewhen the character successfullyParries with a Shield. Each timehe parries an attack that wouldhave hit him, his shield takes 1DP.

Helms only take damagewhen the character is hit with aCalled Shot to the Head or a Sapmaneuver. Each time thecharacter wearing a helm is hitwith such an attack, the helmtakes 1 DP.

When a piece of armordrops to 0 DP, it falls apart and isruined; it cannot be repaired. Solong as it has 1 DP it can berepaired.

Armor has the followingDP:

Piecemeal ArmorIf you're using the

Piecemeal Armor rules fromearlier in this chapter, considerthe armor's Breastplate to havethe number of DP listed for it inthe chart above. Each arm andleg will have a DP amountequivalent to one-tenth of the DPtotal from the chart. Thebreastplate will take all DPdamage from attacks unless theyare Called Shots to other bodyparts

Magical Armor

Magical Armor does notgradually lose its protectiveenchantment as it is damaged.However, if it reaches 0 DPbefore being repaired, the armoris destroyed and so is theenchantment.

Being magical does notconfer any extra Damage Pointson the suit of armor. It cangradually be destroyed by bruteforce like any unenchanted suitof armor.

Repairing Armor

Guidelines for repairingdamaged armor are presented inthe Character Creation chapter,under the headlines "RepairingArmor" and "Repairing MagicalArmor."

Effects on the Campaign

These rules forcalculating damage to armor adda little complexity to combats inthe game. Every time a characteris hit in combat, he'll have to addone tally-mark to a separatescratch sheet of paper showingthe damage his armor is taking.It's easy to forget; the DM willconstantly have to remind hisplayers to do this in the firstweeks he is introducing this ruleinto his campaign. Therefore, werecommend you use this systemonly if it's important to you. If itisn't, don't bother with it.

Chapter 5: EquipmentMagical Items

Following are some newtypes of magical treasures, magicespecially suited to fightingcharacters.

Bracelet of Charms:This appears to be a nicely-crafted bracelet of sturdy goldlinks. It looks like any otherbracelet to which small charmsand mementos are attached.

But when a warrior (onlya warrior, multi-class warrior, ordual-class warrior) slides thebracelet around the blade or haftof a weapon, and speaks thecommand word engraved on thebracelet's clasp, the weapondisappears . . . and a gold charmmatching the weapon appears onthe bracelet.

Thereafter, when thewarrior speaks the commandword and the name of theweapon, the weapon magicallyappears in the hand on whosewrist the bracelet rested . . . andthe bracelet disappears.

The bracelet can hold upto four weapons/charms thisway. They can be normal ormagical. Shields andmiscellaneous equipment cannotbe held in this fashion; onlyweapons built as weapons. Siegeweapons cannot be held.

The change from braceletto weapon takes no time at all,but can be accomplished onlyonce per turn. The bracelet itselfcan be used only eight times in aday; turning the bracelet into aweapon counts as one use, andturning the weapon back into a

bracelet counts as one use.If the weapon held in the

bracelet's enchantment is calledon, and wielded, and thendisarmed, the character cannotcall on another weapon from thebracelet. The bracelet itself iswithin the weapon. The charactermust retrieve the weapon first,and only then can he use itsmagic.

A weapon can be takenout of the bracelet's array. Whena character wishes to do this, hetakes the bracelet off his wristand speaks the name of theweapon, and then says thecommand word . . . a reversal ofthe previous procedure.

The bracelet does notmagically know its owner.Anyone who steals the braceletfrom its owner and discoverswhat it is can use it and call theprevious owner's weapons forth.

This item is best usedwhen the wielder wants to carrya variety of different weapons,and wants to do so secretly. Witha single warrior, the weaponscarried might be a long bow andquiver (quivers count as part ofthe weapon they carry arrowsfor), a bastard sword, a halberd,and a dagger. This gives thewarrior the ability to call forththe weapon best suited to thetask at hand.

If a weapon is broken, thebracelet isn't; the user needs tocall forth the bracelet, thenseparate the broken weapon fromit.

Quivers are not magicallyreplenished when they're the sizeof charms. However many

arrows are in the quiver when itbecomes a charm are still in itwhen it becomes a quiver again.Likewise, a broken bow-stringstays broken.

The Bracelet of Charmsmay not be used on the sameweapon as a set of Rings ofReadiness.

Cage of Shelter: Thisobject looks like a large bird-cage that has been neatly foldeddown into a package about thesize of a medium shield.

The user, who can be ofany character class, places itupon the ground, steps back fromit, and claps his hands loudlyeither two or three times.

If he claps his handstwice, the cage grows up into asturdy metal-framed tent whichcan house eight people—you cansubstitute one horse for fourpeople. This tent confers nomagical blessing on itsinhabitants, but by using it andhuddling together for warmth aparty can survive a snowstormthat would kill an unprotectedparty; by erecting it in the desert,a party can avoid the danger anddiscomfort of a sandstorm.

If the user claps his handsthree times, the cage grows upinto a strong 10' by 10' cell. Thedoor to the cell has theequivalent of a wizard lock; thecage's owner can open it anytime he wishes, and anymagician with the knock spellcan open it by using that spell. Aperson in the cell would have tomake his Bend Bars/Lift Gatesroll successfully (or use a knock)

Chapter 5: Equipmentto escape; the door's lock cannotbe picked.

To return the cage to itsoriginal form, the owner clapsagain, twice if it is in tent form,three times if it is in cage form.If someone is in it when it is atent and begins collapsing, itopens up around the personinside; both he and it are unhurt.If someone is in it when it is acage and begins collapsing, itcollapses around him, inflicting2d6 damage before it breaksopen; thereafter, it is ruinedforever.

The cage of shelterknows its owner. If someonefinds it in a treasure, he mustcarry it in his gear for a monthfor the cage to attune itself tohim. If its true owner sells it tosomeone else in the cage'spresence, the cage will obey theclaps of its new ownerimmediately.

Charm of Favor: Whendeities and other powerful beingsare pleased with the deed of amortal, they sometimes give hima charm of favor. This is a smallcharm or statuette, usually ofsemiprecious material and two orthree inches in size, whichrepresents the god or one of hisaspects.

The charm is rather like alimited wish. It represents a favorwhich the deity will do for thecharacter at some time in thefuture. To use it, the owner mustthrow the item on the ground sohard that it breaks, and then callout his request.

The request must havesomething to do with theattributes of the god: It's no useasking the Goddess of Love todry up an oasis into a desert, orto ask the God of Earthquakesfor a fog to hide the adventurers.

The god hears it when thefavor is requested. And he, in theguise of the DM, evaluates thefavor. If the favor is somethingwhich pertains to one of hisattributes, and if the god does notthink that the character is makingthe request out of mere greed orselfishness, and if bestowing thefavor will not conflict with anyof the god's other aims ordesires, he will grant the favor.

So it would beappropriate to ask the God ofInsects to send a cloud of bees torout one's enemies, or to ask theGoddess of Love to cause someNPC to fall in love with theplayer-character, or to ask a deityof the Earth to cause fruit-treesto grow and save the charactersfrom death by thirst andstarvation.

Because the deity isevaluating the character'srequest, the asking charactercannot expect an outrageousfavor to be granted. And mostenemies who steal the charmfrom the PC cannot use itsuccessfully; one might take it,hurl it to the ground and break itwith his request, and find thecranky god stomping on him andfreeing the faithful PC. (This,however, constitutes using up thefavor.) But an NPC friend of theowner of the charm might beable to get the item and ask the

god to help the charm's trueowner . . . particularly if he is illor kidnapped and cannot do sofor himself.

Any character of anyclass can receive such a charm asa favor. But when they are foundin treasure, they are useless; theywere not intended for thecharacter who finds them, afterall.

The charm of favors doesnot radiate magic.

Rings of Readiness: Thismagical item consists of twoplain iron rings, one suitable tobe worn on a finger and onelarger, some 2" in diameter.

The larger ring is to beplaced on some item. It can besewn into or bolted onto a set ofarmor; it can be placed upon thepommel of a weapon (in whichcase it shrinks until it fitssnugly); it can be attached to anyitem of personal gear weighingless than 100 lbs.

When the larger ring isattached to an object, and thesmaller ring is worn by acharacter, the character needsonly to utter the magical wordinscribed on the inside of thesmaller ring. When he does, ifthe other ring is within 10 miles,it will instantaneously transportthat object to the character.

If the item attached to theother ring is a weapon, it willappear in his hand. If the item isa suit of armor, it appears on thecharacter; if he is alreadywearing a suit of armor, itappears next to him. If the itemis something else, it appears in a

Chapter 5: Equipmentfashion dictated by the DM; acrown will appear on thecharacter's head, while a sewingmachine would appear next tohim, for instance.

If the item attached to thelarger ring is more than 10 milesaway, nothing happens.

The use of the rings mustbe announced before initiative inthe combat turn. Use of the ringstakes no time. The character callsout the magic word beforeinitiative; then, later in the turn,when his actions come up, theitem in question appears.

If a character finds thesmaller ring without the largerone, then he can summonwhatever object the larger one isattached to, even if it is not his.These rings recognize no singleowner. An interesting quest in acampaign might be for acharacter to find the smaller of aset of rings and have to wanderto find the larger ring andsummon it and its object to him;remember, it only works within10 miles of the summoner.

The magic only works ifthe item attached to the largerring is inanimate. Living thingsare not transported.

Once summoned, theseobjects may not be sent back.This is a one-way trip.

The rings may be usedany number of times; they do notwear out.

Many heroes use thismagical item so that they neverlose their weapons. If the herofinds his sword disarmed incombat, he can call it to his handon the next round, without

wasting the time to go get it.Some con artists use it to run ascam: They'll secretly attach thelarger ring to some great item oftreasure, sell it to a dealer, rideout of town with their moneyand then summon the treasureback. This is a good tactic untilthe vengeful dealers catch upwith them.

This magical item maybe used by characters of anyclass.

Rings of readinesscannot be used on the sameweapon as a bracelet of charms.

Sheath of Holding: Thisitem looks like an ordinarysheath for a large knife; thesheath is anywhere from 6" to10" long, including its belt loop.

But it doesn't hold aknife. It holds a sword—a full-

sized sword. With magic ratherlike that found in the bag ofholding, this item slides most ofthe length of the blade into apocket dimension, so that onlythe weapon's hilt shows, withthe sheath suggesting another 5"or so of blade. (This looks ratherstrange when it holds a bastardsword, where the hilt will belonger than the apparent blade,but the sheath of holding can doit.)

Each sheath of holding isdesigned to hold one type ofsword. The DM can decidewhich sort of sword it'sdesigned to hold, or can roll onthe table below. The sheath willnot hold a sword it is not built tohold.

Ignore any rolls whichare not appropriate for yourcampaign setting; if you have no

WeaponRoll Held By Alternated100 Sheath Roll01–10 Bastard sword 01–1511–15 Cutlass16–20 Dagger 16–2521–25 Dirk 26–3026–30 Gladius/Drusus31–33 Katana34–38 Khopesh 31–3539–43 Knife 36–4544–53 Long sword 46–6554–58 Main-gauche59–68 Rapier69–73 Sabre74–78 Scimitar 66–7579–88 Short sword 76–9089–93 Stiletto94–98 Two–handed sword 91–0099–00 Wakizashi

Chapter 5: Equipmentkatanas, you don't need to acceptany rolls for sheathes forkatanas.

The "Alternate Roll"column is used if you are notusing the new weaponsintroduced in The CompleteFighter's Handbook.

This magical item can beused by any character class, butmost end up in the hands ofwarriors and rogues.

Saddle of the Spirit-Horse: This is a very strangemagical item which may only beused by warriors (either single-,multi-, or dual-class).

To all appearances, it isan ordinary, worn leather saddleof good quality. However, it is amagical item. If worn by a singlehorse, it attunes itself to thathorse when worn for three days.(It doesn't have to be worncontinuously for 72 hours—justworn as an ordinary saddle is.)

Once it is attuned to thehorse, nothing remarkablehappens . . . unless the horse dieswhile wearing the saddle. If itdoes, the spirit of the horse stayswith the saddle for another 24hours. Half an hour after thehorse died, the spirit of the horsewill "awaken," and climb to itsunseen feet, and prepare to carryits master wherever he wants togo. The ghost-horse continues towear the saddle and to carry itaround . . . and the horse's masteror other favorite riders may rideit during that time.

For the next 24 hours, thehorse-ghost will tirelessly carryits rider wherever he wants to go,

at the full running speed thehorse could manage when it wasalive. But it's a spooky sight: Thesaddle floats in the air, four orfive feet up (at the height theliving horse carried it); the ridermust mount normally, treat thehorse as he did normally, andpretend all is as it ever was.

Other than running, thehorse-spirit has no unusualabilities. It cannot be seen ortouched. It can whinny andneigh, and it can buck . . . thoughonly the saddle is seen to buck inthe air. It cannot truly fly; whenit comes to a ravine, for instance,it must descend to the bottomand climb the other slope as itwould have had to do if it werealive.

This frightens livinghorses. No normal horse willapproach the animated saddlewithin a hundred feet. For thisreason, it is best used when thecharacter is alone and, has hishorse killed out from under him,

If a character kills hishorse to get this 24 hours of fast,tireless service, the ghosthorsewill remember this and beoffended by it . . . even if thecharacter did it secretly, bypoison or long-distance magic,the horse will know it. It willallow him to mount the floatingsaddle, and behave normally fora while, but at some catastrophictime it will try to kill thecharacter. It may jump off a cliff,or ride him straight back at theenemy he's trying to elude, orbuck him off into a pit of snakes.

These saddles may alsobe made for donkeys, camels, or

any other ground animals. Theydon't work with pegasi, griffons,or other flying beasts.

Shield of Medusae: Thismagical item may only be usedby warriors or priests (includingmulti-class and dual-classwarriors or priests).

It is shaped like andworks like a normal mediumshield. But the outside (the sidethat faces the enemy) is mirror-reflective, and the inside (wherethe warrior's straps are) is crystalclear.

To use the shield ofmedusae, the warrior holds it upbefore him, in front of his eyes,and looks through its clearsurface. While he is doing so, heis immune to the stoning gazesof creatures such as the medusaand basilisk, and to magicalitems which duplicate theirgazes. When the charactercarrying this shield confronts astoning creature, he reflects theirimages back at them, and it isthey who must make savingthrows vs. petrification or beturned to stone.

Unlike ordinary shields,the shield of medusae has onlytwo damage points before itshatters. In other words, if it ishit twice, it is destroyed.

Miscellaneous Equipment

The following pieces ofequipment are of some use towarriors and other characters.

Atl-Atl: This is a stickwith a broad, shallow groove

Chapter 5: Equipmentalong its length and a knot at theend; it is a few feet long.

The character places ajavelin (not a spear, long spear,harpoon, or trident) in it so thatthe javelin butt rests against theknot and the javelin lies alongthe groove; the warrior holds it atthe other end. Thereafter, whenhe flings his javelin, he uses theatlatl as a lever and is able tothrow it much farther thanbefore.

When used with an atl-atl, the javelin acquires thefollowing characteristics:

Javelin/Atl-Atl: ROF2/3, S 3, M 6, L 9.

The atl-atl costs 1 silverpiece to make, but can be carvedout of a stick by anyone with theWeaponsmith proficiency. Itweighs one pound.

Spike, Spring-Out: Thisis a nasty weapon used mostly byrogues and chaotic warriors,though any sneaky player-character could acquire one.

It consists of a bladeidentical in characteristics to theknife, housed in an innocuousrod or handle. When the secretcatch is pressed, the blade snapsout instantly and the character isarmed.

Usually, the spring-outspike is built into items thecharacter will be carrying a lot . .. and when he doesn't wish it tobe known he's armed. Commonobjects with builtin spikesinclude royal sceptres, the endsof quarterstaves (this converts a

staff into a spear), andsometimes the hilts of swordsand daggers. Assassins oftencarry a dagger with an ordinaryblade . . . and a poison-coatedspring-out spike.

The spring-out spikeweighs one pound and costs 40gp. When built into an ordinaryobject, it adds one pound and 40gp to that object's cost. It cannotcustomarily be built into anexisting weapon; it must be builtinto the weapon when it is firstcreated.

The spring-out spike isillegal in most civilizations. Ifthe authorities catch a characterusing one, they'll jail him onassumption of assassinationmotives.

Sheath, Secret Spring:This is another item considereduseful by rogues, street fighters,assassins, and characters wishingto appear unarmed.

It consists of a sheath forone of the following weapons:Dagger, Knife, or Stiletto. Asheath for one of these threeweapons will not hold either ofthe other two. It cannot be builtfor a weapon other than thesethree. It is not just a sheath, butis also a mechanical device, andis worn on the character's armjust below the elbow.

Whenever the characterstraightens his arm out andflexes it in a certain way, theblade in the sheath pops into hishand. The character must make aDexterity ability check to catchit; he gets a +3 bonus because it'snot difficult, but a natural 20

always fails. If he fails to catchit, it pops straight out and dropsto the floor. It cannot be "shotout" as an attack like a thrownknife; it will not hurt whomeverit hits, and always hits hilt-firstwhen fumbled in this fashion.

This is another way, and anon-magical one, for theunarmed character to besuddenly armed when the needarises. In the combat sequence,he must announce beforeinitiative is rolled that he isgoing to pop out his blade; whenhis action comes up for thatround, if he is still able tostraighten out his arm, his bladepops into his hand and isinstantly ready. The charactermay still attack this round; theaction of arming himself doesn'tuse up an attack.

The Secret Spring Sheathweighs only half a pound andcosts 35 gp. It requires someonewith both the Set Snares andWeaponsmithing proficiencies tocreate. Like the Spring-OutSpike, it is illegal in most places,but is a lesser crime, punishableby a fine (10d6 gold pieces) anda few days (1d6) in jail. * * *

Now that you've read it,the thing to remember is this:Use whatever appeals to you, asthe DM, and nothing more. Ifany rule or recommendationworries you, if you feel that itwill unbalance your campaign orskew your players toward badhabits, then don't allow it in yourcampaign. As for all the otherrules, recommendations, andguidelines: Try them. You maylike them.

New Weapons List

Weight Speed DamageItem Cost (lbs.) Size Type 6 Factor S-M LArrows, Stone Flight4 3 cp/1 1/10 M P — 1d4 1d4Belaying pin1 2 cp 2 S B 4 1d3 1d3Bo stick4 2 cp 4 L B 4 1d6 1d4Bolas1 5 sp 2 M B 8 1d3 1d2Cestus1 1 gp 2 S S 2 1d4 1d3Chain4 5 sp 3 L B 5 1d4+1 1d4Dagger, Bone1 1 sp 1 S P 2 1d2 1d2Dagger, Stone1 2 sp 1 S P 2 1d3 1d2Daikyu4 100 gp 3 L — 7 — —Daikyu arrow4 3 sp/6 1 M P — 1d8 1d6Gaff/hook1

Attached 2 gp 2 S P 2 1d4 1d3Held 5 cp 2 S P 2 1d4 1d3

Javelin, Stone3

One-handed 5 cp 2 M P 4 1d4 1d4Two-handed 5 cp 2 M P 4 1d4+1 1d6

KnifeBone1 3 cp ½ S P/S 2 1d2 1d2Stone1 5 cp ½ S P/S 2 1d2 1d2

Lasso4 5 sp 3 L — 10 — —Main-gauche1 3 gp 2 S P/S 2 1d4 1d3Net4 5 gp 10 M — 10 — —Nunchaku1 1 gp 3 M B 3 1d6 1d6Polearm

Naginata4,5 8 gp 10 L P 7 1d8 1d10Tetsubo4 2 gp 7 L B 7 1d8 1d8

Sai1 5 sp 2 S P/B 2 1d4 1d2Shuriken1 3 sp 1 S P 2 1d4 1d4Spear, Long3

One-Handed 5 gp 8 L P 8 1d8 1d8+1Two-Handed5 5 gp 8 L P 8 2d6 3d6

Spear, Stone3

One-handed 8 cp 5 M P 6 1d4 1d6Two-handed 8 cp 5 M P 6 1d6 2d4

Stiletto1 5 sp ½ S P 2 1d3 1d2Sword

Cutlass1 12 gp 4 M S 5 1d6 1d8Drusus1 50 gp 3 M S 3 1d6+1 1d8+1Katana3

One-handed 100 gp 6 M S/P 4 1d10 1d12Two-handed 100 gp 6 M S/P 4 2d6 2d6

Rapier1 15 gp 4 M P 4 1d6+1 1d8+1Sabre1 17 gp 5 M S 4 1d6+1 1d8+1Wakizashi2 50 gp 3 M S/P 3 1d8 1d8

1 This weapon is intended for one-handed use, and may not be used two-handed.2 This weapon is intended for one-handed use, but may be used two-handed.3 This weapon is intended for one-handed or two-handed use.4 This weapon is intended for two-handed use only.5 This weapon inflicts double damage when firmly set to receive a charge.6 The "Type" category is divided into Bludgeoning (B), Piercing (P), and

Slashing (S). This indicates the type of attack made, which may alter the weapon's effectivenessagainst different types of armor. See the optional rule in the Player's Handbook, page 90.