ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

2nd Edition Player's Handbook Rles S!!le"ent

#$e Co"!lete %i&$ter's Handbook
CRED'#S
Written by Aaron Allston
Edited by Steve Winter
Black and White Art by Valerie Valusek
Color Art by John and Laura Lakey, Doug Chaffee, and Jeff Easley
y!ogra!hy by Angelika Lokot"
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'ntrod(tion
he ADVA#CED D$#%E&#S ' D(A%&#S? 6nd Edition Player's Handbook and
Dungeon Master's Guide told you all you needed to kno- about !laying -arriors in the
ga,e. But it could be that you -ant to kno- ,ore than the bare ,ini,u, it takes to !lay
the -arrior classes.
hat@s -here The Complete Fighter's Handbook co,es in. +n these !ages, -e@re going
to sho- you lots of interesting things you can do -ith the -arrior classes . . . things that
the Player's Handbook and DMG didn@t have roo, to sho- you.
Do you -ant to !lay fighter characters other than Aighter, *aladin, and (angerB 8ere
-e@ll give you rules for characters like barbarians, sa,urai, gladiators, a,a"ons<<they@re all
subsets of the three ,ain -arrior classes, but they@re here.
Do you -ant ne- co,bat rulesB We have the,. Cou@ll find rules for different -ea!on
styles, co,bat tactics, co,bat ,aneuvers, Dousting, co,bat results, and ,any other
fighter<oriented abilities -ithin these !ages.
+s it ne- eEui!,ent you@re afterB hat, too, is !resent in co!ious Euantities, fro, ne-
ar,or and -ea!ons to ne- ,agic ite,s.
&r !erha!s you -ant so,e role<!laying and ca,!aigning ti!s for your fighter
charactersFor your ca,!aign in general. +n these !ages you@ll find role<!laying advice for
fighter characters, and discussion of the role of the fighter in regular ca,!aigns and in all<
fighter ca,!aigns.
Whether you@re a !layer or D), an intent rules la-yer or Dust so,eone -ishing to add
a little de!th to your ca,!aign or character, you@ll find so,ething here for you. 8ave fun.

G G G
+ncidentally, The Complete Fighter's Handbook !resu,es that you@re using the
AD&D nd !dition ga,e rules for Wea!on *roficiencies and #on-ea!on *roficiencies.
)any of the rules !resented in this book de!end on use of the !roficiencies. So if you
haven@t been using the, so far in your ca,!aign, -e highly reco,,end that you
fa,iliari"e yourself -ith the, and introduce the, into your !laying.
8ere@s a s!ecial note for those of you -ho are using this Complete Fighter's
Handbook -ith your first edition AD&D ga,e instead of the ne- second editionH his
su!!le,ent ,entions a lot of !age nu,bers fro, the Player's Handbook and the Dungeon
Master's Guide. he !age nu,bers cited are for the se"ond edition, not the firstI you@ll
have to ignore the !age nu,bers given.
#able o) Contents
'ntrod(tion
C$ara(ter Creation
Ability Scores
(aces
Classes
Align,ent
Warrior 4its
*roficiencies
Ar,orer
he Worksho!
A!!rentices and &verseers
i,e to Craft Ar,or
Cost to Craft Ar,or
Chance of Aailure
Added E5!enses
*layer<Character Worksho!s
(e!airing Ar,or
(e!airing )agical Ar,or
Bo-yerJAletcher
Wea!ons,ithing
Wea!ons,ithing Aailure
Wea!on Kuality
Wea!ons #ot Sho-n
)oney and EEui!,ent
)agic
E5!erience
*arrior +its
4its and Warriors
4its and the Warrior Classes
4its and Character Creation
he Warrior 4its
A,a"on
Barbarian
Beast<(ider
Berserker
Cavalier
%ladiator
)yr,idon
#oble Warrior
*easant 8ero
*irateJ&utla-
Sa,urai
Savage
S-ashbuckler
Wilderness Warrior
(ecording 4its on the Character Sheet
Warrior 4its and )ulti<Class Characters
Warrior 4its and Dual<Class Characters
Abandoning a 4it
)odifying the 4its
Creating #e- 4its
Role,Playin&
Warrior *ersonalities
he Brash Couth
he Crude Crusher
he Dangerous Antagonist
he Doo,ed Cha,!ion
he Aated *hiloso!her
he )erry Sho-off
he #atural Leader
he Sneaky hinker
Changing *ersonality y!es
he Warrior Ca,!aign
)agical World vs. #on,agical World
)agical World
)ostly #on,agical World
Strictly #on,agical World
he )i5ed<Warrior<y!e Ca,!aign
he &ne<Warrior<y!e Ca,!aign
A,a"ons
Barbarians and Berserkers
Beast (iders
Cavaliers
%ladiators
)yr,idons
#oble Warriors
*easant 8eroes
*irates and &utla-s
%ood<%uy &utla-s and *irates
Bad<%uy &utla-s and *irates
Sa,urai
Savages
S-ashbucklers
Wilderness Warriors
he )ilitary Ca,!aign
Ca,!aign vs. )ini<series
Co"bat Rles
#e- Co,bat (ules
&ff<8and Wea!ons $se
4neeling and Sitting
(ange and +nitiative
Wea!on *roficiency Slots
+ntelligence and *roficiencies
Single<Wea!on *roficiency Wea!on
S!eciali"ation
Wea!on<%rou! *roficiency
ight %rou!s
Broad %rou!s
#on<%rou!s
Wea!on S!eciali"ation and Wea!on
%rou!s
A,bide5terity
Style S!eciali"ation
*unching and Wrestling S!eciali"ation
)artial Arts
Aighting Styles
he Aour Aighting Styles
S!eciali"ing in the Styles
%uidelines
)ulti!le Style S!eciali"ations
Li,itations on Style S!eciali"ation
Single<Wea!on Style
-o<8ander Style
Wea!on and Shield Style
-o<Wea!on Style
Sa,!le Style S!eciali"ation
)elee )aneuvers
Called Shots
Striking a S!ecific Body *art
S,ashing So,ething Being 8eld
By!assing Ar,or
S!ecial (esults
Disar,
hro-n<Wea!on and )issile Disar,s
E5!ert Disar,s
%rab
%rabbing a *erson
%rabbing a )onster
8old Attack
Characters -ith )ulti!le Attacks
*arry
Choice of *arries
*olear, *arries
)issile Wea!on *arries
*arrying fro, the D)%
*in
*ullJri!
$se of *olear,s
Sa!
Shield<*unch
Shield<(ush
StrikeJhrust
Sur!rise and Alash )aneuvers
Don@t Say #oI Deter,ine Difficulty
)aneuvers in the Ca,!aign
*unching, Wrestling, and )artial Arts
S!eciali"ing With *unching and
Wrestling
#or,al *unching Attacks
*unching S!eciali"ation
#or,al Wrestling Attacks
Wrestling S!eciali"ation
)artial Arts
)artial Arts (esults
Descri!tions of the )aneuvers
S!eciali"ing in )artial Arts
)ore han &ne Style
Continuing S!eciali"ation
he Co,!lete )artial Artist
+n &riental Ca,!aigns
Barehanded )aneuvers
Called ShotsH *unching and
)artial Arts
Called ShotsH Wrestling
Disar,
%rab
8old Attack
*arry
*in
*ullJri!
Sa!
Shield<*unch
Shield<(ush
StrikeJhrust
8it Locations
he L#u,bedL and L$selessL #u,bers
Body Locations
%eneral Effects of Called Shots
S!ecific Effects of Called Shots
(ecording hese +nDuries
+ndividual +nDuries and 8ealing )agic
*er,anent and Cri!!ling Effects
)onsters and 8it Locations
his Syste, and Lo-<Level
Characters
(ecovery
(ecovery of e,!orary Da,age
(ecording e,!orary Da,age
(ecovering Aro, e,!orary
Da,age
)agical 8ealing and e,!orary
Da,age
(ecovery Aro, 4nockout
e,!orary Da,age and 4nockout
)agical 8ealing and 4nockout
Co,bat Conditions
Darkness and Blindness
$nstable %round
)ounted Co,bat
Jousting
Lance S!eciali"ation
8orseback Archery
ourna,ents
he Basic ourna,ent
he Joust List
he Jousting Co,!etition
Blunted Lances
Kueen of Love and Beauty
*ri"es
&ther Events
Archery Co,!etition
Aoot Lists
)erchants@ Stalls
Dancing, Sociali"ing
When to End Co,bat
When Characters Don@t Acce!t Surrender
When Characters Al-ays Chase
Esca!ees
When Characters #ever #egotiate
#otes on the Co,bat SeEuence
actics
Shield Walls and *olear,s
Wolf<!ack actics
actical )i5
(otation
S!ear<Carriers
Directing raffic
Ca,!aign actics
Just Arriving in o-n
he Co,bat Sheet
E-i!"ent
&ld Wea!ons
&ne<8and, -o<8and
#e- Wea!ons
%ladiator Wea!ons
*irate Wea!ons
Sa,urai Wea!ons
Savage Wea!ons
S-ashbuckler Wea!ons
#e- Ar,or
%ladiator Ar,or
Sa,urai Ar,or
Effects of Ar,or
Effects on AC
Effects on S!eed
Effects on De5terity Checks
Effects on Vision and 8earing
&ther 8el,s and 8el,ets
What 8ead *rotection Doesn@t Do
Vision and 8earing Checks
#o 8ead *rotection
Variant Ar,or
(acial Ar,or
Ar,or Aitting
8igh<Kuality (acial Ar,or
*iece,eal Ar,or
Weight of *iece,eal Suits
)agical Ar,or
%ladiator Ar,or
Da,age to Ar,or
*iece,eal Ar,or
)agical Ar,or
(e!airing Ar,or
Effects on the Ca,!aign
)agical +te,s
)iscellaneous EEui!,ent
#ables
C$ara(ter Creation
+n this cha!ter, -e@ll briefly !resent notes on character creation in the AD&D ga,e.
his is ,aterial you already kno-, but -e@ll be talking about character creation as it
s!ecifically a!!lies to -arrior !layer<characters MAighters, *aladins, and (angersN.
Ability S(ores
Aor a nor,al ca,!aign, any of the si5 dice<rolling ,ethods fro, the Player's
Handbook is acce!table.
+f you decide to run an all<-arriors ca,!aign Msee the #ole$Playing cha!ter of this
book for details on such a thingN, -e reco,,end that you use one of the five Alternate
Dice<(olling )ethods !resented.
Whether or not you run an all<-arriors ca,!aign, if you utili"e the %arrior &its
cha!ter of this rule book, -e reco,,end that you use )ethod V+ to create the ability
scores for your characters. Because characters using the Warrior 4its are so s!eciali"ed,
you@ll find it hel!ful to be able to custo,<design your character ability scores, -hich
)ethod V+ allo-s you to do.
Ra(es
)uch of The Complete Fighter's Handbook is -ritten -ith the hu,an character in
,ind. 8o-ever, ,ost of the te5t is eEually a!!licable to all the other !layer<character
races as -ell, and can be used by the, -ithout any sort of ada!tation necessary.
All the nor,al rules for racial ability adDust,ents, class restrictions, level li,its,
languages, and ,iscellaneous bonuses and !enalties -ill be used, and all the ,aterial in
this book can be used for all the de,ihu,an races e'"ept (here spe"i)i"ally noted in the
te't.
Classes
he three -arrior character classes MAighter, *aladin, and (angerN are still the only
-arrior character classes. 8o-ever, those !layers -ho -ould like to have ,ore
s!eciali"ed -arrior classes -ill !robably find -hat they -ant in the %arrior &its cha!ter.
When you@re creating single<class -arrior characters, -e reco,,end that you start all
first<level -arriors -ith the ,a5i,u, nu,ber of hit !oints they can have at that levelF
don@t even bother to roll the dice. +n other -ords, if you have a first<level Aighter -ith a
Constitution of 0O, he@d start -ith 06 hit !oints instead of rolling his 0d07 and adding P6
for his Constitution adDust,ent.
his is for a cou!le of i,!ortant reasons. Airst, it gives the -arrior a slightly better
chance for survival at lo-er e5!erience levels. Second, it reflects the fact that -arriors are
si,!ly tougher and hardier than other !layer<character classes.
But re,e,berH his is for )irst le*el single$"lass (arriors only. Starting -ith second
level, these Aighters, *aladins, and (angers have to roll their hit !oints like everyone else.
#o other class gets this benefit, and ,ulti<class -arriors Msuch as -arriorJthieves,
-arriorJ,ages, and the likeN don@t get to do this.
Ali&n"ent
The Complete Fighter's Handbook follo-s all nor,al ga,e rules for character
align,ents. &nce the !layer has chosen an align,ent for his character, he needs to have his
choice a!!roved by the D)I it ,ay be that his choice -ill clash e5cessively -ith the
align,ents of other characters in the !arty, so the D) is -ithin his rights to disa!!rove
any align,ent choice. Mhe chaotic evil fighter -ho -ants to !lay -ith the trou!e of
-andering !aladins (ill be a !roble,.N
*arrior +its
&nce you@ve -orked u! your character@s ability scores, and then chosen his class and
align,ent, you can choose a %arrior &it for the character. Warrior 4its are discussed in
the %arrior &its cha!ter of this book.
Pro)i(ien(ies
As the +ntrodu"tion notes, use of the *roficiencies section of the AD'D nd !dition
Player's Handbook is not o!tional -ith The Complete Fighter's Handbook. he
*roficiencies are necessary for you to custo,i"e and fine<tune your character, and for the
use of the %arrior &its cha!ter of this book.
$se of the Wea!on *roficiencies are !retty ,uch self<evident after you read the
Player's Handbook. Later in this book, though, in the Combat cha!ter, you@ll learn so,e
interesting ne- things -hich you can do -ith -ea!on !roficiencies.
Don@t forget that high +ntelligence scores grant e5tra !roficiencies MeEual to the nu,ber
of e5tra languages the character receives for the sa,e scoreN.
8ere, let@s talk about three non-ea!on !roficiencies MAr,orer, Bo-yerJAletcher, and
Wea!ons,ithingN -hich are of !articular use to the -arrior !layer<character.
Ar"orer
With the Ar,orer !roficiency, a character kno-s ho- to build all varieties of ar,or.
Ar,orer overla!s a cou!le of other !roficienciesH
he Ar,orer kno-s enough Blacks,ithing to forge ,etal ar,or and craft scale and
chain ,ail Mthough he cannot forge horseshoes, -rought iron gates, hardened ,etal tools,
or any other useful ite,s unless he also kno-s Blacks,ithingNI
he Ar,orer kno-s enough Leather-orking to cut and sha!e boiled leather into
leather ar,or, shield coverings, and the under<layers of scale ,ail and banded ,ail Mthough
he cannot ,ake dress Derkins, saddles, elaborate !ouches or rucksacks, or any other useful
leather ite,sN. he Ar,orer kno-s enough of the ailor@s art to ,anufacture !added
ar,or and ar,or !adding Mbut not enough to cut and se- any sort of good<looking
gar,entN.
#aturally, the ordinary Blacks,ith cannot forge ,etal ar,or, the Leather-orker is not
e5!erienced -ith ,aking leather ar,ors, and the ailor isn@t conversant -ith the ,aking of
!added ar,or, unless they also take the Ar,orer !roficiency.
he Ar,orer can re!air e5isting ar,or that has taken da,age Mif you@re using that
o!tional ruleN, and can also craft barding Mhorse ar,orN through use of his !roficiency.
But -hat does all of this ,ean in a ca,!aignB
#$e *orks$o!
o craft ar,or, the character ,ust first have a (orkshop Ma !lace to -ork and tools
-ith -hich to do -orkN.
Metal Armor
+f he intends to ,ake any sort of all<,etal ar,or Mchain ,ail, field ,ail, full !late, !late
,ail, and hel,etsN, the -orksho! is a smithy, co,!lete -ith tools, bello-s, a furnace, an
anvil, tongs, cauldrons, casting ,olds, and all the other ,aterials necessary to !rocess
unrefined ,etal into ar,or.
Such a -orksho! costs 677 g!, !lus the cost of the shelter -here it is set u!H An
additional 077 g! for a !avilion tent, an additional 977 g! for a -ell<crafted hutJ-orksho!,
or ,ore as !art of a larger d-elling, such as a ,ansion, villa or castle Mthese sorts of
d-ellings are !riced at -hatever sort of !rice sche,e the D) !refersN.
M+ncluded in the !rice of the smithy is the cost of the tools necessary to ,ake leather
hilt<-ra!!ings, !added ar,or, ar,or linings and !adding, and the si,!le leather stra!s
used to hold all<,etal ar,ors together.N
his -orksho! is large enough to acco,,odate the character and u! to t-o
a!!rentices -orking full<ti,e. Mhe a!!rentices, too, ,ust have the Ar,orer !roficiencyI
the character can al-ays take in an a!!rentice -ithout the !roficiency and train hi,, but
until he acEuires the Ar,orer !roficiency he doesn@t count as a !roductive ele,ent of the
-orksho!.N
+n theory, the character could hire another three<,an cre- to -ork a second shift in
the sa,e -orksho!I thus the -orksho! -ould be occu!ied nearly 63 hours a day. Mhis
!resu,es eight< to ten<hour shifts and a certain a,ount of necessary non!roductive ti,e
each dayH i,e for furnaces to cool and be cleaned, tools to be re!aired and shar!ened,
etc.N #o ,ore than three !eo!le can -ork in this -orksho! effectivelyI -ith ,ore than
three !eo!le, the -orksho! suffers a loss of efficiency so that it !roduces goods Dust as
though it -ere only ,anned by three ar,orers.
o e5!and the -orksho! costs an additional :7Q for each Pthree -orkers. +f the
s,ithy costs 677 g! and is set u! in a 977<g! hut, thus costing :77 g!, the builder could
!ay P6:7 g!. hen, the -orksho! -ould acco,,odate three ,ore ar,orers at the sa,e
ti,e. Aor another P6:7 g!, no- totalling 0,777 g!, the sho! can acco,,odate nine
ar,orers at the sa,e ti,e.
,eather Armor
+f he intends to ,ake any sort of all<leather ar,or Mhide ar,or, leather ar,or, and
ar,ored leather ca!sN, the -orksho! is a leather(orker's shop, including a!!aratus for
leather soaking, scra!ing, tanning, boiling, boiling in -a5, sha!ing, hole<!unching, se-ing,
and all the other !rocesses by -hich leather is transfor,ed into ar,or.
Such a -orksho! costs 6: g!, !lus the cost of the shelter -here it is set u!H An
additional 6: g! for a large tent, an additional ;: g! for a -ell<crafted hutJ-orksho!, or
,ore as !art of a larger d-elling Mat -hatever !rice sche,e the D) !refersN.
M+ncluded in the !rice of the leather(orker's shop is the cost of the tools necessary to
,ake !added ar,or and ar,or linings and !adding.N
As -ith the s,ithy above, this !rice !resu,es one !rinci!al leather-orker and u! to
t-o a!!rentices ,ay -ork together at the sa,e ti,e. Above that nu,ber costs :7Q of the
-orksho! and housing costs !er additional three leather-orkers.
Metal and ,eather Armor
+f he intends to ,ake both sorts of ar,or, or ar,or -hich co,bines both ,etal and
leather ele,ents Mbanded ,ail, brigandine, bron"e !late ,ail, ring ,ail, scale ,ail, shields,
s!lint ,ail, and studded leatherN, a co,bined -orksho! is needed.
Such a -orksho! costs 6:7 g!, !lus the cost of the shelter -here it is set u!H An
additional 077 g! for a !avilion tent, an additional 977 g! for a -ell<crafted hutJ-orksho!,
or ,ore as !art of a larger d-elling Magain, at -hatever !ricing the D) !refersN.
M+ncluded in the cost of the armorer's shop is the cost of the tools necessary to ,ake
-ooden shield blanks and shield fra,es, !added ar,or, and all ar,or linings and !adding
necessary to the ar,ored goods.N
As -ith the s,ithy above, this !rice !resu,es one !rinci!al ar,orer and u! to t-o
a!!renticesI above that nu,ber costs P:7Q of the -orksho! and housing costs !er
additional three ar,orers.
A!!renti(es and O.erseers
he cost of the -orksho! constitutes only the set<u! cost for the ar,oring o!eration.
)aintenance of the -orksho!, !ay for the e,!loyees, and cost of ,aterials also co,e into
!lay. &f course, so do the !rofits fro, the sale of ,anufactured goods.
Each a!!rentice costs 6g!J-eek for food, u!kee!, and training. And once an
a!!rentices has reached young adulthood Mage 0ON and has achieved an Ar,orer ability
check of 06 or better, he@ll de,and to be !ro,oted to &verseer status Mdescribed
i,,ediately belo-N or -ill find better !ickings else-here.
A!!rentices cannot run a -orksho! unsu!ervised. Su!ervision co,es in the for, of an
&verseer, an adult -ith an Ar,orer ability check of 06 or better. Each &verseer costs 0:
g!J-eek Mthe D) ,ay -ish to have the cost relate to the &verseer@s Ar,orer ability
checkH 0: g!J-eek at a check of 06, P0: g!J-eek !er P0 to his ability checkI thus, if his
ability check is 0O, he costs ;: g!J-eekN.
#i"e to Cra)t Ar"or
o deter,ine the time it takes to ,ake a !iece of ar,or, take the ar,or@s AC. he
nu,ber that the AC is under 07, ,ulti!lied by t-o -eeks, is the ti,e it takes an a!!rentice
Msu!ervised and aided by an &verseerN to craft the ite,.
hus, a set of chain ,ail MAC :N is calculated this -ayH 07 = : R :I : 5 t-o -eeks R
ten -eeks. +t takes 07 -eeks to ,ake a suit of chain ,ail.
Standard Costs to /an)a(tre Ar"or

Ar"or Retail /aterials #i"e A!!renti(e & #otal
Pie(e Vale Cost 0&!1 #aken O.erseer Cost
Banded )ail 677 077 06 -k 32 G
032
Brigandine 067 O7 2 -k 96 G
16
Bron"e !late 377 677 06 -k 003 GG 903
Chain ,ail ;: 92 07 -k 67 GGG
:2
Aield *late 6777 0777 0O -k 973 P
0973
Aull !late ;777 9:77 02 -k 936 P
9236
8el,Jgreat 97 0: 3 -k 2 GGG
69
8el,Jbasinet 2 3 0 -k 6 GGG
O
8ide ar,or 0: ; 2 -k 2 PP
0:
Leather ar,or : 0 PPP 3 -k 3 PP
:
*added ar,or 3 7 PPP 3 -k 3 PP
3
*late ,ail O77 977 03 -k 099 GG
399
(ing ,ail 077 :7 O -k 63 G ;3
Scale ,ail 067 O7 2 -k 96 G
16
ShieldJbody 07 : 6 -k 3 GGG
1
ShieldJbuckler 0 7PPP 6 -k 0 PP
0
ShieldJ,ediu, ; 9 6 -k 3 GGG
;
ShieldJs,all 9 0 6 -k 6 GGG
9
S!lint ,ail 27 37 06 -k 63 GGG
O3
Studded lthr 67 07 O -k O PP
0O
BardingH
Chain :77 6:7 07 -k 017 P
337
Aull !late 6777 0777 0O -k 973 P
0973
Aull scale 0777 :77 2 -k 0:6 P
O:6
8alf brig. :77 6:7 O -k 003 P
9O3
8alf !added 077 :7 6 -k 92 P
22
8alf scale :77 6:7 2 -k 0:6 P
376
LthrJ*added 0:7 ;: 3 -k ;: P 0:7
G -o a!!rentices, no overseer
GG &ne a!!rentice, S overseer
GGG &ne a!!rentice, no overseer
P -o a!!rentices, one overseer
PP S a!!rentice, no overseer
PPP Cost reduced because of easy availability of ,aterialsI cost of L7 g!L ,eans cost is a
negligible
Aor !ieces of ar,or -hich don@t grant s!ecific AC benefits Mlike hel,etsN, figure the
ti,e at 0 -eek !er ;.: g! value. hus, a great hel, -ould take four -eeks to ,ake Mit
costs 97 g!NI a basinet, one -eek and a fe- hours of the eighth day Mit costs 2 g!N.
Cost to Cra)t Ar"or
And it does cost ,oney to craft ar,or. he cost isH
MaN About half the Lretail valueL of the ar,or !iece for ,aterialsI !lus
MbN he cost of ,aintaining one or t-o a!!rentices during the ti,e it takes to ,ake the
!ieceI !lus
McN Additional cost based on ho- ,uch of the overseer@s ti,e and attention the !roDect
takes. Mhe !roDect ,ay take one or t-o overseers full<ti,e on the !roDect, ,ay take only
hal) one overseer@s ti,e on the !roDect, or ,ay take none of the overseer@s ti,eFthe latter
constitute !roDects that the a!!rentices can do all by the,selves, ,ostly unsu!ervised.N
he !revious table sho-s standard costs to ,anufacture ar,or.
+n usual circu,stances, the difference bet-een the otal Cost and the (etail Value is
the sho!@s !rofit -hen it sells a !iece of ar,or.
As you can see fro, the table, hide ar,or, leather ar,or, !added ar,or, ,ediu,
shields and s,all shields are little<to<no<!rofit !ro!ositions. 8o-ever, they kee! the
a!!rentices !aid and kee! -ork in the sho!.
Playin& *it$ #$ese N"bers
#o-, the costs given above are not the final -ord on ho- ,uch it costs to ,ake
ar,or. With your D)@s !er,ission, you can ske- these nu,bers around Mboth u! and
do-nN through the follo-ing ,eans.
Airst, you can !ut e5tra ,en on a Dob. M+,!ortant #oteH +f overseers are drafted to do
a!!rentice<level -ork, one overseer counts as t-o a!!rentices.N Cou can only !ut e5tra
,en on a Dob in incre,ents of the original nu,ber of ,en reEuired for the DobH +n other
-ords, if the Dob reEuired t-o a!!rentices, you don@t see an i,!rove,ent in s!eed until
you assign t-o more a!!rentices to the Dob. At that !oint, you cut the s!eed of the Dob in
half.
!'ample- From the "hart. you see it takes one apprenti"e (ith no o*erseer ten (eeks
to (ork up a set o) "hain mail/ That's a standard in the armorer's industry0 they'll al(ays
tell you it takes ten (eeks to (ork up a "hain mail hauberk/ 1ut in an emergen"y
situation. they "ould put an e'tra apprenti"e on the 2ob 3either ha*e t(o (orking on it at
on"e. or ha*e one on the 4day shi)t4 and one on the 4night shi)t45/ %ith t(i"e the
a*ailable manpo(er. it (ould only take hal) the time. or )i*e (eeks. to "reate the "hain
mail/
Second, if the &verseer is a !layer<character, he doesn@t have to !ay hi,self as ,uch.
his is usually the case -ith ar,orers -hen they first go into business for the,selvesH
hey !ay the cost for ,aterials and the cost for their a!!rentices, and -hatever they have
left over is their o-n salary, even if it is ,uch less than the 0: g!J-eek standard
,entioned above. Mhat nu,ber, 0: g!J-eek, re!resents a fir, lo-er<,iddle<class
standard of livingI an ar,orer -ho earns less -ill be living at a lo-er<class standard of
living.N
With that in ,ind, -e can re<inter!ret so,e of the nu,bers above. Let@s say that -e
have one !layer<character ar,orer -ho -ants to -ork u! a set of hide ar,or.
8ide ar,or nor,ally takes u! half the -ork<day of one a!!rentice for eight -eeks. +t
costs ; g! in ,aterials, and he can sell it on the usual ,arket for 0: g!. +f Dust the chief
ar,orer, -ho counts as an &verseer if his Ar,orer ability check is 06 or better, -orks on
this ite, alone, it -ill take hi, only t-o -eeks to ,ake the hide ar,or Mre,e,ber, an
&verseer counts as t-o a!!renticesI therefore, he@s !utting four ti,es the ,an!o-er on
the task as it custo,arily reEuires, thus cutting the ti,e reEuired to one<fourth, or t-o
-eeksN. +f he can sell it for 0: g!, he@s ,ade 2 g!. 8e@s earning a ,eager 3 g! a -eek,
-hich is better than a !overty<level -age, but less than ,iddle<class.
C$an(e o) %ailre
+t -ould see, that the thing to do -ould be to set u! an ar,orer@s sho! and Dust build
field !late and full !late, -hich are the ,ost !rofitable ite,s of ar,or. 8o-ever, that isn@t
necessarily so.
his is because, for every ite, of ar,or you ,ake, you have to ,ake an Ar,orer
Ability Check. At the end of the ar,or<,aking !eriod, the ,ost e5!erienced Mhighest
ability checkN character -ho -orked continuously on the !roDect ,akes his Ar,orer ability
check. +f he !asses the check, the ar,or is Dust fine. +f he fails it, it@s fla-ed.
+f the character ,issed his roll by 0, 6, 9, or 3, the ar,or looks Dust fine. he ,aker
kno-s it@s fla-ed, but this -ill not be obvious to anyone on casual ins!ection, and only
another ar,orer -ill be able to detect that it@s fla-ed . . . and only -ith careful ins!ection.
his ty!e of fla-ed ar,or functions at 0 AC higher than it should Mthus fla-ed full !late
-ould be AC 6 instead of 0N. +f the fla-ed ar,or is ever struck in real co,bat -ith a
natural to<hit roll of 01 or 67, it LbreaksL Mcaves in, s!lits o!en, etc.N. +ts AC goes u! 3
Mthus our fla-ed full !late -ould shoot fro, AC 6 to AC ON. And because it@s broken and
hanging -rong, it hinders the !layerI until he can take it off Mthis takes 0d3 roundsN, he
,oves at half his nor,al rate and suffers a =3 !enalty to all of his attack rolls.
&bviously, ,ost re!utable ar,orers -ould never sell a !iece of fla-ed ar,or. hey
have their re!utations to !rotect, so they thro- it a-ay. hey take a loss in ,oney eEual
to the otal Cost of the ar,or fro, the chart above.
+f the character ,isses his roll by : or ,ore, it@s obvious to anyone, -ith casual
ins!ection, that the ar,or is fla-ed. #o one -ill buy it at the nor,al retail value. he
ar,orer ,ight be able to sell it at half the otal Cost value to so,eone des!erate for chea!
ar,or, so,eone -ho@s -illing to take the risk of -earing fla-ed ar,or. +f he can@t sell it,
this too is a total loss.
Ainally, not all ar,or is the sa,e in the level of difficulty it reEuires to ,anufacture.
So,e ar,or is si,!le enough that a!!rentices can -ork on it alone. So,e is so
co,!licated that only ,aster ar,orers should oversee this -ork. And hiring a ,aster
ar,orer costs ,ore than Dust hiring a nor,al overseer.
he chart belo- sho-s the relative difficulty of ,anufacturing these different ty!es of
ar,or.
Ar"or #y!e /odi)ier to Ar"orer
Pro)i(ien(y C$e(k
Banded )ail P0
Brigandine P0
Bron"e !late 7
Chain ,ail P9
Aield *late =9
Aull !late =9
8el,Jgreat P9
8el,Jbasinet P9
8ide ar,or P9
Leather ar,or P9
*added ar,or P9
*late ,ail 7
(ing ,ail P0
Scale ,ail P0
ShieldJbody P9
ShieldJbuckler P9
ShieldJ,ediu, P9
ShieldJs,all P9
S!lint ,ail P9
Studded leather P9
Barding
Chain 7
Aull !late =9
Aull scale 7
8alf brig. 7
8alf !added 7
8alf scale 7
LthrJ*added 7
As you can see, ,aking field !late and full !late is a risky !ro!osition. &nly the best of
inde!endent ar,orers -ill undertake such a task because the !otential losses are so great.
M&n the other hand, a hireling ar,orer -ill do it -henever his e,!loyer says, because all
the financial risk is his e,!loyer@s.N And !layer<character ar,orers run these sa,e financial
risks -hen they try to ,ake field !late and full !late for the,selves or their friends.
Added E2!enses
+f the D) -ishes, he can add to the grief of a !layer<character ar,orer by confronting
hi, -ith a lot of the hidden e5!enses of any such o!erationH
3ribery4 +n ,any !laces, local officials -ill e5!ect a little graft in order for the, to
!rocess the necessary !er,its efficiently and regularly. +f the *C doesn@t !ay u!, those
!er,its take a long, long ti,e M,onthsN to be !rocessed, and during that ti,e the *C can@t
o!erate a retail ar,orer@s sho!.
#$e)t4 Ar,orer@s sho!s can be burglari"ed Dust like any other o!eration. hieves are
Euite -illing to steal so,e high<Euality ar,or goods and fence the, else-here in the city.
De!ending on the Euality of the ,erchandise lying around in the sho!, this can be a
serious financial blo- for the sho!.
Un(lai"ed Goods4 So,eti,es a !atron -ho custo,<orders a !iece of ar,or never
sho-s u! to buy it. )aybe he@s been killed in the ,eanti,eI ,aybe he ran lo- on funds
and decided not even to tell the ar,orer of his ,isfortune. And if the custo, !iece of
ar,or -as decorated or fine<tuned to that s!ecific custo,er Mfor e5a,!le, if it bears his
coat of ar,s or unusual decorationN, it could be that no one else is -illing to buy it . . .
e5ce!t at heavily discounted !rices.
Unsold Sto(k4 Ar,orers don@t Dust -ork u! !ieces of ar,or to order. he ar,orer
fabricates nu,erous e5a,!les of the ,ost co,,on sorts of ar,or Mleather and !added
ar,or, shieldsN for the casual custo,er and as !ractice for the a!!rentices. #ot all of this
gets sold, and a !iece that is never sold is a fe- gold !ieces out of the sho!@s coffers.
All in all, it ,ay be safer, financially, for a !layer<character to be a full<ti,e adventurer
and only a !art<ti,e ar,orer.
Player,C$ara(ter *orks$o!s
&ften, a *C Ar,orer -ho is also an adventurer -ill set u! an ar,orer@s sho! and cre-
it -ith a single overseer and t-o a!!rentices. his sho!@s duty -ill be to kee! the *C
su!!lied in ar,orI also, -henever the *C returns ho,e, he can, if he -ishes, o!erate the
sho!, es!ecially in the Loff<shiftL M-hichever shift the regular cre- is not o!erating itN.
+f he does hire an overseer, he@ll have to !ay the rates according to the overseer@s ability,
as described above.
#ote that a *C Ar,orer can ,ake ar,or for his friends. 8e can@t avoid !aying the
,ini,u, cost for the ,aterials, of course. he character can carry a tent and
leather-orker@s sho! on the back of a horse, so he can -ork on any sort of all<leather or
!adding ar,or -hile on the road. But on the road, he can only get in a cou!le of hours@
-ork !er day, so ,ulti!ly all ar,or<,aking ti,es by four to deter,ine ho- long they take.
he character -ho does all this e5tra -ork -ill be a little ,ore tired than his fello-sI
reduce his +ntelligence ability check to s!ot u!co,ing dangers.
Re!airin& Ar"or
+f you use the o!tional rules for da,aging ar,or found in this rule book@s Combat
cha!ter, you can also use the Ar,orer !roficiency to re!air da,aged ar,or.
+t costs the ar,orer 0J077th the ar,or@s retail value for each Da,age *oint that he
re!airs. Again, that@s the cost to the armorer, -hich assu,es that a!!rentices are doing the
-ork, and unsu!ervisedI a!!rentices can !erfor, all ar,or<re!air functions. he cost to
the ar,orer, co,!ared to the a!!rentice@s -age, sho-s you ho- long it takes to re!air M6
g!J-eek for one a!!rentice, re,e,berN.
!'ample- A set o) "hain mail has taken 67 points o) damage in "ombat/ The o(ner
brings it in to be repaired/ #etail *alue o) "hain mail is 89 gp. so the "ost to repair ea"h
point o) damage (ill be /89 gp. or 89 "p/ The armorer repairs the 67 points o) damage.
(hi"h "osts him 897 "p 389 sp5/ This is less than 6 gp. so the apprenti"e doing the repairs
takes about t(o days to )i' the "hain maul hauberk/
Ar,orers ty!ically charge a :7Q !rofit on re!air Dobs. +n the e5a,!le above, the
ar,orer@s cost -as ;: s!I therefore, he@d charge the custo,er about 00: s! for the re!air
Dob.
Re!airin& /a&i(al Ar"or
)agical ar,or is re!aired in e5actly the sa,e -ay. Base the cost for re!airs on the
nor,al retail value of the ar,or as i) it (ere not magi"al.
When ,agical ar,or is da,aged, holes ,ay be driven into it, but the basic
enchant,ent is unchanged. herefore, the ar,orer doesn@t have to have re!air ,aterials
enchanted to L,atchL the original ar,orI all he has to do is !atch u! the holes and the
ar,or -ill be fi5ed. y!ically, the ar,orer -ill not even kno- that he@s -orking on
,agical ar,or.
&f course, as -e discuss in the Combat cha!ter, if a set of ,agical ar,or is da,aged
so severely that the enchant,ent is ruined, nothing a nor,al ar,orer can do -ill re!air it.
Ar,or that seriously da,aged is ruined even as nor,al ar,orI an ar,orer -on@t be able to
fi5 it.
3o5yer6%let($er
he ,aterial on the Bo-yerJAletcher !roficiency fro, the Player's Handbook. !age
:2, is all correct for use -ith this su!!le,ent.
A set of bo-yerJfletcher@s tools, -hich can be used at ,a5i,u, efficiency by one
character, costs 07 g!. M+t@s 0: g! for a set -hich can be used si,ultaneously by three
-orkers, and P;.: g! !er P9 -orkers -hich can -ork si,ultaneously.N he
bo-yerJfletcher is not reEuired to set u! a -orksho!I he can -ork by hi,self in the field,
if he chooses. +f he chooses to set u! a !er,anent sho!, tents and huts cost the sa,e as
-hat@s listed for the leather-orker@s sho! Mabove, under LAr,orerLN.
#ote that the construction ti,es listed in the Player's Handbook !resu,e that he@s
-orking a full -eek. +f he@s traveling or adventuring and -orking on bo-s and arro-s in
his s!are ti,e, ,ulti!ly all crafting ti,es by four. hus, a long or short bo- takes four
-eeks.
Cost of ,aterials for arro-s and nor,al bo-s is negligible. +f the character is trying to
,ake a -ea!on of truly fine Euality, he ,ust either !ay :7Q of the -ea!on@s nor,al retail
value for e5ce!tionally fine -oods, or add an e5tra 077Q to the ti,e it takes to craft the
-ea!onI the e5tra ti,e constitutes hi, having to look for the !erfect -ood and ,aterials
in the -ild.
*ea!ons"it$in&
he te5t on Wea!ons,ithing !roficiency fro, the Player's Handbook is basically
correct, but let@s elaborate on it.
As ,entioned, a -ea!ons,ith does need to have a smithy. he costs for having a
s,ithy are given above in this section, under LAr,orer.L +n fact, the sa,e s,ithy can be
used for ar,oring and -ea!ons,ithing.
he Wea!on Construction nu,bers on Wea!on Construction table on !age O: of the
Player's Handbook are correct. +t constitutes one &verseer<level -ea!ons,ith -orking by
hi,self and crafting -ea!ons of average Euality. An &verseer -ea!ons,ith -orking -ith
t-o a!!rentices cuts the ti,e in half. he ti,e indicated on the chart should be converted
to -eeks so that you can co,!are the -ea!ons,ith@s ti,es -ith the ar,orer@sI consider :
days on the chart to constitute one -eek.
*ea!ons"it$in& %ailre
When constructing a -ea!on, at the end of the -ea!on<,aking !rocess, the
-ea!ons,ith ,akes his Wea!ons,ithing !roficiency ability check. 8e@ll use the
*roficiency )odifier based on the -ea!on and the -ea!on Euality he@s trying to achieveI
see the chart belo-, under LWea!on Kuality,L for that ,odifier.
+f he successfully ,akes his check, he@s created the -ea!on he -anted to create.
+f he fails by 0, 6, 9, or 3, he@s created a -ea!on that looks like -hat he intended to
,ake. . . but he kno-s it has a serious structural fla-. +n a real co,bat, if the -ielder rolls
a natural : or less on his attack roll, the -ea!on breaks and is useless. MAor so,e reason, it
Dust -on@t break in !ractice co,bats. . . only in the real thing.N 8e can still sell the -ea!on,
of course, but eventually, after he@s done this sort of thing a fe- ti,es, his re!utation as a
crafts,an -ill be utterly ruined. +t@s better Dust to break the ite,, sell it as a -all<hanger,
etc.
+f he fails by : or ,ore, the -ea!on breaks and is ruined during the last stages of the
creation !rocess Mfor e5a,!le, -hen it@s being cooled after heat<te,!eringN.
*ea!on 7ality
+t is !ossible to construct -ea!ons of different Euality than Dust average.
Poor Euality -ea!ons are shabbily ,ade. hey look bad, and like the fla-ed -ea!ons
described above, they break on a natural attack roll of 0 to :. hey don@t hit as -ell Mthis is
a !enalty to the attack rollN or do as ,uch da,age M!enalty to the da,ageN as their
average<Euality eEuivalents.
A*erage Euality -ea!ons are not es!ecially notableI they get the Dob done, they@re
reliable, and they@re ine5!ensive. $nless other-ise noted, all Mnon<,agicalN -ea!ons listed
on charts in the AD&D ga,e are of average Euality.
Fine Euality -ea!ons are very -ell<,ade. Each -ill have one s!ecific bonusH Either a
P0 to attack rolls or a P0 to da,age. his bonus is not ,agicalI it co,es fro, i,!roved
balance, shar!ness, etc. Mhe -ea!ons,ith deter,ines, -hen he@s ,aking the -ea!on,
-hether he@s trying to ,ake it ,ore accurate or ,ake it hit harder.N hey also cost a lot
,ore than average -ea!ons. Enchant,ents are ty!ically ,ade on -ea!ons of at least Aine
Euality.
!'"eptional Euality -ea!ons are like fine -ea!ons, but have both bonusesH hey@re P0
to attack rolls and P0 to da,age. hey@re also very e5!ensive.
he follo-ing list, ada!ted fro, the list on !age O: of the Player's Handbook, sho-s
the differences in cost and ti,e to create -ea!ons of these different levels of Euality.
#i"e to Constr(t
*ea!on #y!e Poor A.era&e %ine E2(e!tional
Arro-head 67Jday 07Jday :Jday 0Jday
Battle A5e : days 07 days 67 days 3: days
8and A5e 6 days : days 07 days 67 days
Dagger 9 days : days 07 days 67 days
8. Crossbo- 07 days 67 days 3: days 17 days
L. Crossbo- 2 days 0: days 97 days O7 days
Aork, rident 07 days 67 days 3: days 17 days
S!ear, Lance 6 days 3 days 07 days 67 days
Short S-ord 07 days 67 days 3: days 17 days
Long S-ord 0: days 97 days O7 days 067 days
S-ord 67 days 3: days 17 days 027 days
E))e(ts On /od8 to Pro)
Per)or"an(e C$e(k to
*ea!on 7ality Atta(k Da"a&e 3reaks Cra)t
*oor =0 =0 0=: on d67 P6
Average 7 7 0 on d67G 7
Aine P0 P0 GG =6
E5ce!tional P0 P0 GG =3
G his isn@t an auto,atic breakI it breaks only if the D) feels like it.
GG Aine -ea!ons get either a P0 to attack rolls or P0 to da,age, not both. Aine and
E5ce!tional -ea!ons break only in re,arkable circu,stances, as dictated by the D) Mfor
e5a,!le, a !o-erful ene,y rolling a natural 67 -hen hitting the -ea!on, or the character
rolling a natural 0 -hen striking at an artifactN.
*ea!ons Not S$o5n
+f you@re trying to construct a -ea!on not sho-n on this chart, co,!are it to the ,ost
si,ilar -ea!on that is on the chart and use those values. Mhe D) has the final say on
-hat is ,ost si,ilar.N Aor instance, if you@re trying to create a halberd, that@s closest to a
fork or trident. +f you@re trying to create a bastard s-ord, that@s closest to a long s-ord.
/oney and E-i!"ent
The Complete Fighter's Handbook follo-s all the nor,al Player's Handbook
guidelines for the character@s initial ,oney and eEui!,ent . . . usually. $se of so,e of the
Warrior 4its -ill dictate differences in the -ay so,e characters s!end their beginning
,oney.
/a&i(
So,e -arrior characters M*aladins, (angers, and ,ulti<class AighterJ)ages and
AighterJ*riestsN do have s!ells. At this !oint in the character creation !rocess, for the
,ulti<class characters, you and the D) -ill have to deter,ine the character@s s!ells.
M*aladins and (angers -ait until 1th and 2th levels, res!ectively, to get their s!ells, so you
don@t have to -orry about the, for a -hile.N
E2!erien(e
8ere@s an o!tion you ought to think about if you@re !lanning to run es!ecially heroic,
co,bat<heavy adventures or ca,!aigns.
Cou ,ight -ish to start all beginning !layer<characters out at 9rd e5!erience level
instead of 0st. his ,akes the, a bit tougher, a bit ,ore heroic, and a lot less fearful about
dying -ith the first blo- of their first fight.
8o-ever, if you !refer to have your beginning characters a bit ,ore nervous and
defensive, then it@s certainly ,ore a!!ro!riate for you to start beginning characters at 0st
level.
C$ara(ter S$eet
At the back of the book is a character sheet es!ecially suited for use -ith The
Complete Fighter's Handbook/ ake a look at it, and then -e@ll discuss it in greater detail.
%ront o) t$e S$eet
+n the to! bo5 of the character sheet@s front, you !ut all the vital statistics of the
characterH 8is na,e, !hysical and racial characteristics, his character class, his Warrior 4it
Mif he uses oneFsee the %arrior &its cha!terN, align,ent, current e5!erience level, his
current e5!erience earned, and the a,ount of e5!erience it@ll take hi, to reach the ne5t
level.
+n the second bo5, you !ut all the infor,ation relating to the character@s si5 ability
scores MStrength, De5terity, Constitution, +ntelligence, Wisdo,, and Charis,aN. All this
infor,ation co,es fro, the charts in the Player's Handbook, !ages 03<02.
+n the third, narro-, bo5, you -rite do-n any bonuses and abilities the character
receives based on his raceI for instance, if he@s an elf, you@d !ut so,ething like L17Q
resistant to sleep and "harm0 P0 to attack rolls -ith bo-, short s-ord, long s-ordI can
sur!rise o!!onentsI infravisionI 0 on dO to detect secret doors M0=6 on dO -hen looking,
0=9 for !ortalsN.L
+n the fourth bo5, you -rite do-n ,any of the character@s ga,e<,echanic notesH 8o-
,any hit !oints he has, ho- his hit dice are calculated M-ith Aighters, you@d -rite Ld07LN,
-hat his AC is, -hat his 8AC7 is, -hat his saving thro-s are, notes on his follo-ers and
any s!ecial abilities or restrictions fro, his character class choice Mes!ecially a!!ro!riate
-ith !aladins and rangersN, and his S!ell *rogression Mif anyI this, too, is es!ecially
a!!ro!riate for !aladins and rangersN.
+n the fifth bo5, you note do-n any ,odifications ,ade to the character by the Warrior
4it he chooses Magain, see the Warrior 4its cha!ter for detailsN.
+n the si5th Mbotto,N bo5, you record any of the character@s skill<ty!e abilitiesH 8is
languages, his -ea!on !roficiencies Mand s!eciali"ationsTN, and his non-ea!on
!roficiencies.
3a(k o) t$e S$eet
he back of the sheet is used ,ostly for eEui!,ent lists.
he to! bo5 is used to record his -ea!onsI here, you can !ut all the infor,ation found
on the Wea!ons able MPlayer's Handbook, !age O2N.
he second bo5 is used for short descri!tions of i,!ortant eEui!,ent, es!ecially
,agical ite,s.
he third bo5 allo-s the !layer to indicate -here all his character@s i,!ortant
!ossessions are nor,ally ke!t. he D) should insist that the !layers use these blanksI it
hel!s !revents ,istakes fro, being ,ade in an adventure. ML&f course + have ,y :ta)) o)
the Magi alongT + al-ays have it ta!ed to ,y :ta)) o) Po(er; #o, reallyTLN
And in the botto, bo5 you can ,ake any other notes !ertinent to the character.
#$e Ne2t Ste! 'n C$ara(ter Creation
Aor the ne5t ste! in our -arrior<oriented character creation !rocess, turn to the
%arrior &its cha!ter, -hich follo-s i,,ediately.
*arrior +its
So,eti,es it@s Dust not enough to be a Aighter, *aladin or (anger. Each of those
classes is a lot of fun, but there@s nothing -hich says you -ant to be restricted only to
three ty!es of fun.
So, here, -e@re going to sho- you ho- to create and !lay other sorts of -arrior
characters.
+its and *arriors
Each s!ecial -arrior described in this cha!ter is defined as a &it of different
characteristics. he &it consists of the follo-ing ele,entsH
Des(ri!tion4 his !aragra!h talks about -hat the -arrior is. +t@s a general descri!tion
of the a!!earance, ,anner, cultural background and use of the character in a ca,!aign. +t
also lists any re<uirements necessary for the character to take the 4itI for instance, to be
an A,a"on, a character ,ust be fe,ale. MSur!riseTN
Role4 his !aragra!h describes the role of this -arrior in the society that s!a-ned hi,
and in an ongoing ca,!aign. A Sa,urai has a different cultural role fro, a Wilderness
Warrior, even if both, say, are *aladins.
Se(ondary Skills4 +f you@re using the Secondary Skills rules fro, AD&D nd
!dition, then your 4it ,ay reEuire your -arrior to take a s!ecific skillI the character ,ay
not be able to choose or rando,<roll his Secondary Skill.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Cou ,ust use the AD&D nd !dition ga,e rules for
Wea!on *roficiencies in order to use these Warrior 4its. )ost of these 4its -ill reEuire
your -arrior to take s!ecific -ea!on !roficiencies. A Sa,urai -ouldn@t be the sa,e
-ithout his katana, or a #oble Warrior -ithout his lance, for e5a,!le.
When reEuired to take a s!ecific Wea!on *roficiency, the -arrior ,ust take that fro,
the nu,ber of slots he has available to Ls!end.L
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Cou also ,ust use the #on-ea!on *roficiencies rules
fro, AD&D nd !dition, as ,any Warrior 4its reEuire your character to take s!ecific
non-ea!on !roficiencies. MAor instance, it@s foolish to be a *irate -ithout Sea,anshi!, or a
Wasteland (ider -ithout (iding.N
But these reEuired #on-ea!on *roficiencies are bonusesFgiven in addition to the
non-ea!on !roficiency choices you nor,ally choose. So,eti,es a bonus !roficiency -ill
co,e fro, a grou! other than the %eneral or Warrior grou!s, but, since it@s a bonus, it
doesn@t ,atter ho- ,any e5tra slots it -ould other-ise be reEuired to occu!y.
So,e !roficiencies -ill ,erely be reco,,ended, not reEuired. When a choice is
reco,,ended, it is not gi*en to the characterI if the character decides to take this
non-ea!on !roficiency, he takes it fro, the nu,ber of choices he has.
+f you -ish, you can use both Secondary Skills and #on-ea!on *roficiencies in your
ca,!aign, but you@ll find that character creation is si,!ler and ,ore consistent if you use
only the *roficiencies rules.
E-i!"ent4 So,e Warrior 4its gravitate to-ard certain ty!es of eEui!,ent. #oble
Warriors tend to-ard heavy ar,or and -ea!ons such as s-ords and lancesI *irates lean
to-ard cutlasses, thro-ing knives, light or no ar,or, and the like.
hese eEui!,ent listings aren@t really restrictions or hard<and<fast rules. A *irate on
shore ,ay -ish to deck hi,self out in full !late, for instance. But in nor,al circu,stances,
a character should gravitate to-ard the ty!es of eEui!,ent a!!ro!riate for hi,, and the
D) ,ust steer hi, to-ard such eEui!,ent ty!es.
Aor e5a,!le, the !irate -ho kee!s his full !late on -hile aboard shi! -ill be knocked
overboard ti,e and ti,e again as a re,inder of -hy !irates don@t usually -ear such
cu,berso,e stuff. As he@s being dragged to the ocean botto,, he can reflect on his
,istake. A noble -arrior -ho -ears leathers -hen Dousting -ill al,ost certainly get -hat
he deserves for his folly.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 )ost Warrior 4its have so,e s!ecial benefits that others don@t.
&ften, they@re defined as s!ecial reaction bonuses a,ong certain classes of society, s!ecial
rights in certain cultures, and so forth. &ther benefits are ,ore unusual or dra,aticH he
Berserker can call on hidden resources of strength and vitality -hen in co,bat, for
instances.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 Like-ise, each Warrior 4it has certain disadvantages -hich
hinder hi,. *irates are sought by the authoritiesI A,a"ons face discri,ination in ,ale<
do,inated societies.
*ealt$ O!tions4 So,e Warrior 4its have s!ecial rules regarding their -ealth. he
#oble Warrior, for instance, -ill begin !lay -ith ,ore starting gold than so,e other
Warrior 4its. 8o-ever, he@s also reEuired to ,aintain a higher standard of living than the
others. +f he fails to do so, he te,!orarily loses so,e of his S!ecial Benefits.
Ra(es4 Each of these 4its is -ritten -ith the hu,an character in ,ind, and this
!aragra!h describes -hat ha!!ens -hen you have a de,ihu,an character instead. he
D) -ill have to ask hi,self if he -ants certain raceJWarrior 4it co,binations MSavage
ElvesB D-arf A,a"onsB #oble 8alfling<WarriorsBN. +f he does allo- the,, this !aragra!h
-ill ,ake notes on reco,,ended racial ,odifications. Aor instance, the #oble D-arf<
Warrior -ill be reEuired to be !roficient -ith a5e and ha,,er rather than s-ord and
lance, and -on@t be reEuired to be a rider.
An '"!ortant Note
+n the follo-ing sections, several Warrior 4its get reaction bonuses and !enalties as
!art of their S!ecial Benefits and S!ecial 8indrances. A -ord of caution needs to
acco,!any the,.
+n the AD&D ga,e, -hen a character is very charis,atic, he gets -hat is called a
Lreaction adDust,ent.L MSee the Player's Handbook, !age 02.N When the character has a
high Charis,a and receives a bonus, it@s e5!ressed as a !lusH P6, for instance. When he has
a lo- Charis,a and receives a !enalty, it@s e5!ressed as a ,inusH =9, for e5a,!le.
8o-ever, -hen you roll the 6d07 for encounter reactions Msee the Encounter (eactions
able, Dungeon Master's GuideN !. 079, don't add the bonus 3=5 or subtra"t the penalty
3>5 )rom the die roll/ Do it the other -ay around. +f the character has a Charis,a of 0O,
and thus gets a P: reaction adDust,ent, you subtra"t that nu,ber fro, the 6d07 die roll.
M&ther-ise the #*Cs -ould be reacting even ,ore badly because the character -as
charis,aticTN
+its and t$e *arrior Classes
+n general, each 4it can be used -ith each of the three -arrior classes. Cour character
can, for instance, be a Barbarian Aighter, an A,a"on *aladin, or a Sa,urai (anger.
So,e choices ,ay be a little Euestionable. Aor e5a,!le, it@s not likely that you@ll be
!laying a *irate *aladin. 8o-ever, it is !ossible. +f your band of !irates, in ha!!y<go<lucky
,ovie tradition, attacks only the -icked, frees all innocents, and !erfor,s in an other-ise
,ostly<honorable fashion, they@re obviously not an evil grou! and a !aladin could
adventure a,ong the,. +f that@s the sort of !irate ca,!aign you and your D) agree to
!lay, then that@s fine.
When one -arrior class cannot choose a s!ecific Warrior 4it, the e5ce!tions -ill be
noted.
+its and C$ara(ter Creation
Cou can only take one Warrior 4it for your character.
Cou can only take a Warrior 4it for your character -hen that character is first created.
here@s an e5ce!tion to that second ruleH +f you and your D) both -ant to integrate
these rules into an e5isting ca,!aign, and both D) and !layers can agree u!on -hat
Warrior 4it each e5isting !layer<character ,ost closely rese,bles, then you can use these
rules for e5isting characters, adding a Warrior 4it to each e5isting character.
&nce you@ve taken a Warrior 4it, you cannot change it. Later in the character@s life, he
can !ossibly abandon his 4itI see LAbandoning A 4it,L later in this cha!ter.
#$e *arrior +its
Aollo-ing are several sorts of -arriors re!resented by Warrior 4its. Before allo-ing
his !layers to choose 4its for their characters, the D) should revie- these and ,ake
notes for hi,self about the,.
Aor each Warrior 4it, the D) has to chooseH
M0N +f he -ill even allo- this 4it in his ca,!aign.
M6N What additional infor,ation he needs to give the !layers about each 4it.
M9N What changes he ,ight -ish to ,ake to each 4it.
Let@s take the A,a"on 4it as an e5a,!le. his 4it -as loosely derived fro, the
A,a"ons of %reek ,yth. But this D)@s A,a"ons ,ay be substantially different fro,
those.
So, first, he has to decide if he -ill allo- this 4it in his ca,!aign. +f he has any sort of
A,a"ons on his -orld, he !robably -ill allo- this. +f he has no A,a"ons, then he -on@t.
Let@s !resu,e that he does.
Second, he has to decide -hat additional infor,ation he needs to give the !layers
about the A,a"ons. +n his -orld, let@s say, the A,a"ons live on Lunyrra, a heavily forested
island surrounded by al,ost unscaleable cliffs, and ,ake -ar on the surrounding islandsI
-hen !layers are interested in !laying A,a"ons, he gives the, that infor,ation in addition
to the 4it.
hird, he has to decide -hat changes he -ishes to ,ake to the 4it. Since his A,a"ons
are sailors instead of fa,ous eEuestrians, he changes the reEuiredJbonus #on-ea!on
*roficiencies fro, (iding and Ani,al raining to Sea,anshi! and #avigation.
By these ,eans, he has ada!ted the generic Warrior 4it belo- to his o-n ca,!aign
-orld and ,ade it fit in Dust as he likes.
A"a9on
Des(ri!tion4 A,a"ons are -o,en -arriors in a ,ale<do,inated -orld. heir
civili"ation ,ight have been created by a deity -ho likes -o,en -arriorsI or they ,ight
have been -o,en -ho rebelled fro, ,ale do,inations and decided to rule the,selvesI or
they ,ight si,!ly have been ,atriarchal societies fro, long before recorded history.
Whatever their origin, they no- live in civili"ations or co,,unities -here -o,en
occu!y the !ositions and roles traditionally held by ,enFand, in the ca,!aign, that
,eans es!ecially the role of -arriors and adventurers.
An A,a"on culture ,ay be s,all Ma single to-n or islandN or large Man entire country
or continentN, very advanced or very !ri,itive. So,e A,a"on cultures kee! ,en as
servants and slaves, a stern reversal of the for,er statusI others have no ,en in their
co,,unities, and take long holidays in order to visit friendly neighboring tribes of ,enI
others !er!etuate their kind by being very hos!itable to adventurers !assing through their
territory. M+n this last instance, so,e A,a"on cultures, after-ards, ,ay decide to kill the
adventurersI others don@t.N Aor details of e5actly ho- the A,a"on co,,unities -ork in
your ca,!aign -orld, consult your D). MAnd give hi, !lenty of ti,e to co,e u! -ith the
ans-ers if it@s not so,ething he@s thought about before.N
raditionally, A,a"ons are fa,ous riders and breeders of horses. +n their o-n
countries, they -ear light ar,or and carry shields, s!ears, s-ords and bo-s. +n other
countries, if they are disadvantaged by their cultural -ea!ons and ar,or, they Euickly
ada!t to local -ea!ons and ar,or.
8ere@s an i,!ortant !oint to re,e,berH +n ,ost ca,!aigns, you don@t ha*e to be an
A,a"on to be a fe,ale -arriorI check -ith your D) for other -ays to !lay a fe,ale
-arrior. he A,a"ons are ,erely a very colorful and distinctive type of fe,ale -arrior. +f
a !layer -ants to have a fe,ale -arrior character, the D) should try to acco,,odate the
!layer -henever !ossible, and shouldn@t have to resort to ,aking the character an A,a"on
in order to allo- her to be a -arrior. +n Dust about every real<-orld history and ,ythology,
you@ll find fe,ale -arriors in ,ale<do,inated societiesI other-ise there -ould be no Joan
of Arc or Atalanta of Calydon.
here are no s!ecial ability<score reEuire,ents to be an A,a"on.
Role4 +n her o-n society, regardless of the level of civili"ation, the A,a"on -arrior is
very highly regarded. She is the defender of the -hole civili"ation@s -ay of life, and every
A,a"on girl as!ires to gro- u! to be a -arrior. But in the outer -orld, and in the
ca,!aign in general, the A,a"on is a curiosity, often regarded as a barbarian Mno ,atter
ho- cultured her civili"ation ,ight beN, stared at, -his!ered about. he !eo!le of other
cultures -ill be sus!icious of her, and she -ill !robably start out being unco,fortable
around ,en -ho a!!ear to be her social eEualFin her eyes, they are the ones -ho are
unnatural.
he D) -ill have to guide this situation carefully. &nce the A,a"on character has
!roven herself in co,bat to her outer<-orld allies, and once they have !roven the,selves
in co,bat to her, there@s no reason -hy they cannot be staunch allies. #*Cs ,ay continue
to trouble her, but player$"hara"ters should notI and the other *Cs should rise to her
defense -hen #*Cs ,ake trouble for herI only the ,ost obno5ious of *Cs -ould continue
to give her trouble, and the other *Cs certainly shouldn@t su!!ort his attitude.
Se(ondary Skills4 (eEuiredH %roo,.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 (eEuiredH S!ear, Long Bo-. MA,a"on fighters can S!eciali"e
only in S!ear or Long Bo-.N (eco,,endedH Various a5es, s-ords.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH (iding MLand<BasedN, Ani,al
raining. (eco,,endedH %eneralFAni,al 8andling, MWarriorN Ani,al Lore, Ar,orer,
Bo-yerJAletcher, 8unting, (unning, Survival, racking.
E-i!"ent4 When an A,a"on character is first created, she ,ust buy her -ea!ons
and ar,or fro, a,ong the follo-ing choices onlyH Wea!onsFBattle A5e, Bo- MAnyN,
Club, DaggerJDirk, 8and or hro-ing A5e, Javelin, 4nife, Lance, S!ear, S-ord ManyNI
Ar,orFShield, Leather, *added, Studded Leather, Brigandine, Scale )ail, 8ide, Banded
)ail, Bron"e *late )ail. &nce she has adventured else-here in the -orld, she ,ay
!urchase -ea!ons and ar,or fro, those regions.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 )ale -arriors in a civili"ation -here fe,ale -arriors are rare tend
to underesti,ate the A,a"on. herefore, in any fight -here the A,a"on confronts a ,ale
-ho is not fa,iliar -ith her !ersonally or fe,ale -arriors in general, she gets a P9 to
attack rolls and P9 da,age on her )irst blo( only. his is because her o!!onent@s guard is
do-n.
his doesn@t -ork on !layer<characters unless the !layer is role<!laying honestly
enough to declare that he, too, -ould underesti,ate her.
his ability doesn@t -ork on so,e other ty!es of charactersH
An #*C -ho is -ary enough not to underesti,ate the A,a"on ,ight, -ith a
successful +ntelligence check, see the attack co,ing and deny her the bonusI
A seasoned veteran Many Warrior of :th level or higher, or any other character of 2th
level or higherN, in s!ite of his !reDudice, -ill reali"e that she is ,oving like a trained
-arrior and kee! his guard u!, denying her the bonus.
+f the A,a"on hits an #*C -ith this attack, he@ll never again be !rey to itI if an #*C
even sees an A,a"on hit so,eone -ith it, he@ll never fall for it hi,self. But if she ,isses
that first strike, then the target -ill continue to underesti,ate her and she can use those
bonuses again on her ne5t strike.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he A,a"on suffers a =9 reaction roll adDust,ent fro, #*Cs
-ho are fro, ,ale<do,inated societies. his reaction adDust,ent goes a-ay for characters
-ho co,e to res!ect her, such as M!resu,ablyN her *C allies.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he A,a"on gets the ordinary :d3507 g! as starting ,oney.
Ra(es4 he A,a"ons fro, folklore and ,yth -ere hu,ans. +t@s not difficult to
envision elvish or half<elvish clans of A,a"ons, eitherI they@d follo- the rules above for
hu,an A,a"ons.
+t@s a little harder to envision d-arvish, gno,ish, or halfling A,a"ons. But if you do
use such civili"ationsH
D-arf A,a"ons -ill have A5e and 8a,,er as their reEuired -ea!on !roficienciesI
they are still (iders, but substitute s-ine for their ,ount of choice Ms-ine are very
dangerous, and the !ros!ect of a ferocious she<d-arf on the back of a biting boar is a
daunting oneN.
%no,e A,a"ons -ill have hro-ing A5e and Short S-ord as their reEuired -ea!on
!roficienciesI their Bonus #on-ea!on *roficiencies are racking and Survival.
8alfling A,a"ons -ill have Javelin and Sling as their reEuired -ea!on !roficienciesI
their Bonus #on-ea!on *roficiencies are Endurance and Set SnaresI and you -ill have to
!resu,e that these halflings aren@t as fond of ease and leisure as the ,ore co,,on sorts of
halflings.
3arbarian
Des(ri!tion4 his is not the barbarian of history, but the barbarian of fantasy fiction.
8e@s a !o-erful -arrior fro, a culture on the fringes of civili"ation. 8e@s left his ho,e to
sell his skills and adventure in the civili"ed -orldF!erha!s to a,ass a fortune -ith -hich
to return ho,e, !erha!s to beco,e an i,!ortant figure in this so<called civili"ation. 8e@s
kno-n for strength, cunning, conte,!t for the outer -orld@s decadence, and for adhering
to his o-n code of honor.
he barbarian is usually very strongI therefore, the barbarian must ha*e a :trength
ability s"ore o) 69 or more/ A character can co,e fro, a barbarian tribe and have a lo-er
Strength than thatFbut he cannot have the Barbarian 4it.
Role4 he ty!ical (*% barbarian is a !o-erful, dangerous figure, as though he -ere
an ani,al tote, in hu,an skin. +n a ca,!aign, he@s a front<line fighter -ith so,e s!ecial
skills and a very different outlook than the rest of the charactersI his !layer should al-ays
!lay hi, as so,eone fro, a different land, so,eone -hose likes and dislikes and
!erce!tions are based on a different culture. M+f you !lay hi, as Dust another -arrior fro,
do-n the street, you lose a lot of the ,ystiEue the character has.N
+f the *C !arty has no real leader, he ,ay gravitate to that roleI if it has a good enough
leader, he@ll !robably stick to being a s!ecialist in the things he does -ell.
Se(ondary Skills4 he D) -ill decide, based on the character@s background, -hat
sort of secondary skill -ould be reEuired. )ost barbarian tribes have a reEuired skillI a
tribe that ,akes its living by fishing -ould have Aisher as its reEuired secondary skill.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 (eEuiredH Battle A5e, Bastard S-ord. Mhese are the classical
fiction<barbarian -ea!onsI the D) ,ay decide to substitute others ,ore a!!ro!riate to
his o-n -orld.N Barbarian fighters ,ay s!eciali"e in any -ea!on, but are not likely to
encounter unusual -ea!ons Mlike lances, Euarterstaves, flails, !eculiar !olear,sN until they
reach the outer -orld. (eco,,endedH Bo- ManyN, Sling, S-ord ManyN, War 8a,,er.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficiencyH Endurance. (eco,,endedH %eneralF
Ani,al 8andling, Ani,al raining, Direction Sense, Aire<Building, (iding MLand<BasedN,
Weather Sense, MWarriorN Blind<Aighting, 8unting, )ountaineering, (unning, Set Snares,
Survival, racking, M*riestFcosts t-ice the listed nu,ber of slots if Aighter or (anger, or
Dust the listed nu,ber if *aladinN 8erbalis,, M(ogueFcosts double slotsN Ju,!ing. he
D) is -ithin his rights to insist that the Barbarian character take a !roficiency in the tribal
s!ecialty MAishing, Agriculture, -hateverN if the D) so -ishes.
E-i!"ent4 he character, -hen he s!ends his starting gold, ,ay not buy ar,or
heavier than s!lint ,ail, banded ,ail, or bron"e !late ,ail. &utside his tribe, once he has
adventured in the outer -orld, he can use any ty!e of ar,or -ithout !enalty. When he
s!ends his starting gold, he ,ust li,it hi,self to -ea!ons the D) says are a!!ro!riate for
his tribeFthe usual grou! of -ea!ons includes battle a5e, bo-s ManyN, club, dagger or
dirk, foot,an@s flail, ,ace, or !ick, hand or thro-ing a5e, sling, s!ear, or s-ord ManyN.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 Barbarians are i,!ressive because of sheer strength, intensity, and
ani,al ,agnetis,I this gives the, a P9 reaction adDust,ent bonus in certain situations.
Whenever the barbarian character achieves a reaction roll of 2 or less Mincluding
Charis,a and racial bonusesN, you subtract the ,odifier. hat is, if the reaction is !ositive
at all, it -ill be even ,ore !ositive than it other-ise -ould have been.
!'ample- Torath the Toranaran is a 1arbarian (ith a Charisma o) 69/ !n"ountering
a knight (ho "ould be )riend or )oe to him. he speaks (ith the knight in a )riendly
)ashion/ The DM rolls his !n"ounter #ea"tion and a"hie*es an 66 on d67/ ?n the
4Friendly4 "olumn o) the !n"ounter #ea"tions "hart )rom the Dungeon Master Guide.
this is a 4Cautious4 rea"tion/
1ut (ait@his "harisma gi*es him a =A bonus/ The 66 be"omes an B. still an
indi))erent rea"tion/ 1ut be"ause he's rea"hed an B. his 1arbarian bonus "omes into play.
making the )inal rea"tion roll a 9- A )riendly rea"tion/
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 All that i,!ressiveness can -ork against the Barbarian, too.
Whenever the barbarian character achieves a reaction roll of 03 or ,ore, he takes an
additional =9 ,odifier. hat is, if the reaction is negative at all, it -ill be even ,ore
negative than it other-ise -ould have beenFthe barbarian is scary, and the other !erson
overreacts.
!'ample- Torath ne't meets a suspi"ious (it"h. and is indi))erent to(ard her/ ?n the
4+ndi))erent4 "olumn o) the !n"ounter #ea"tions "hart. the DM rolls a 68/ Torath's
Charisma bonus o) A redu"es the roll to a 6C. but it's still enough that his 1arbarian
penalty 2ust shoots it right ba"k up to a 68 again/ The (it"h be"omes Threatening/
*ealt$ O!tions4 he Barbarian gets the starting gold for a Warrior M:d3507 g!N, but
he ,ust s!end it all Mbefore starting !layN e5ce!t three g! or lessI he can have so,e !ocket
change -hen he reaches civili"ation, but ,ust be close to !enniless.
Ra(es4 De,ihu,an Barbarians follo- the sa,e rules. D-arves are !erha!s the ,ost
ad,irably suited to being Barbarians. he D) -ill have to decide -hether his elves, half<
elves and gno,es are brooding and ,enacing enough to be BarbariansI the Euestion is
even harder -ith the leisure<loving halflings. But if the D) -ishes to allo- any or all of
these de,ihu,an races to have Barbarians a,ong the,, he ,ay.
%inal Note4 )ost classic fantasy<fiction barbarians are ,ale, but this Warrior 4it can
certainly be taken by fe,ale characters, -ith all the 4it@s reEuire,ents, benefits, and
hindrances in effect.
3east,Rider
Des(ri!tion4 he Beast<(ider is a -arrior in a tribe or clan Musually a barbarian tribeN
-hich has a strong affinity for one ty!e of ani,al. he ani,al is the tote, of the tribe, and
the Beast<(ider ,akes friends very easily -ith that ty!e of ani,al and can train it into a
riding<beast. . . even if it@s a ty!e of ani,al not nor,ally considered a riding<beast.
+n a ca,!aign, the Beast<(ider is an e5otic -arrior -ho is notable for his kinshi! -ith
his ani,alI like the Barbarian, he brings a -ild, outsider@s attitude into the adventuring
!arty. 8is ani,al also has abilities -hich can benefit the adventuring !arty. 8o-ever, the
,ore unusual the ani,al is, the harder it is to acco,,odate in all situationsH +t@s no
!roble, to stable a horse at the inn, but Dust try stabling a great -hite -olf, a -ild boar, or
a dol!hinT
o be a Beast<(ider, the character ,ust have a Charis,a of at least 09. M#aturally,
there are ,e,bers of the Beast<(ider@s tribe -ho are not the,selves Beast<(idersI the
Beast<(iders are the tribe@s elite -arriors.N
Role4 As ,entioned, in his o-n society, the Beast<(ider is the elite -arrior, and he
co,,ands a lot of res!ect a,ong his o-n kind. &utside his tribal grounds, ho-ever, he@s
very definitely an outsider. 8is barbarian ,anneris,s and his obvious and very unusual
friendshi! -ith his ani,al set hi, a!art fro, ,ost societies. Because of this, the Beast<
(ider ,ay beco,e es!ecially attached to the other !layer<characters Mif they treat hi, as
an eEual and not a freakN, even if he@d never ad,it it to the,.
he D) needs to reinforce this social role by having #*Cs react to the Beast<(ider@s
strangeness. Aor instance, #*Cs -ill be leery of s!eaking to or negotiating -ith the Beast<
(ider if there@s a ,ore Lcivili"edL character on hand to !erfor, those functions. he D)
needs constantly to use the Beast<(ider@s reaction ,odifiers, listed belo- under
Lhindrances.L
Se(ondary Skills4 +f you@re using the Secondary Skills rules, the character ,ust take
the %roo, MAni,al 8andlingN secondary skill.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 (eEuiredH #one. (eco,,endedH All the -ea!ons co,,only
associated -ith ,ounted -arriorsFBo- Mco,!osite short, and shortN, 8orse,an@s flail,
8orse,an@s ,ace, 8orse,an@s !ick, Lance Many, according to the si"e of the ani,alN,
S!ear, Bastard S-ord, Long S-ord.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH Ani,al raining, (iding MLand<
basedN. he character ,ust declare -hich one sort of ani,al both these !roficiencies
!ertain to. (eco,,endedH %eneralFAni,al 8andling, Direction Sense, Aire<building,
M*riestN 8ealing Ms!ecifically veterinaryN, MWarriorN Ani,al Lore, 8unting,
)ountaineering, Set Snares, Survival, racking.
E-i!"ent4 When he is first created, the Beast<(ider ,ay only have 8ide, Leather, or
*added ar,or M!lus shield and hel,N. Later in the ca,!aign, he ,ay s-itch to ,ore
advanced for,s of ar,or. . . as long as his ,ount can carry hi, and the ar,or both, of
course. When first created, he ,ay have only -ea!ons fro, the list above under LWea!on
*roficiencies.L Mhe D) ,ay change or add to this list to reflect s!ecific cultural details of
the Beast<(ider@s tribe.N
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he Beast<(ider has an a,a"ing ra!!ort -ith one ty!e of ani,al.
he ani,al ,ust be of a s!ecies nor,ally strong enough to carry the Beast<(ider and act
as a ,ount. With the D)@s !er,ission, the Beast<(ider character gets to decide -hat sort
of ani,al this isI the D) is encouraged to disallo- any sort of ani,al that -ill give the
Beast<(ider a great advantage in the ca,!aign Mfor e5a,!le, a !egasus or griffonN.
he Beast<(ider gets a P: !ositive reaction adDust,ent -henever dealing -ith these
ani,als. 8e finds it easy to ,ake friends -ith the,I on a die<roll result of 1 or less Mon the
L8ostileL colu,n of the Encounter (eactions able, Dungeon Master's Guide !age 079N,
he can even !ersuade attacking ani,als of this sort to leave hi, and his allies alone.
Additionally, the Beast<(ider begins !lay in the ca,!aign -ith one of these ani,als as
his !ersonal friend and ,ount. his ani,al is devoted to hi, and -ill risk Mor even
sacrificeN its o-n life to save the characterI and the character is e5!ected to behave the
sa,e -ay to-ard his ,ount. M+f he doesn@t role<!lay this attach,ent to his ani,al, the D)
should decide that the character has abandoned this Warrior 4it, as !er the guidelines
given later in this cha!ter.N
he Beast<(ider has a tele!athic ra!!ort -ith his ani,al. When in contact or visual
line of sight -ith his ani,al, he can tell -hat the beast is feeling, even thinking if it has
so,e intelligenceI he and the ani,al can co,,unicate -ith one another -ithout a!!earing
to. When the t-o are not -ithin line of sight -ith one another, each -ill kno- the other@s
e,otional state and -hether or not the other is hurtI each -ill kno- the direction to travel
to find his friend, and the a!!ro5i,ate distance Ma hundred yards, an hour@s travel, several
days@ travel, for instanceN.
+f the ani,al ever dies, the Beast<(ider can choose another ani,al of the sa,e ty!e as
his co,!anion. 8o-ever, the D) ,ust include this situation as !art of the ca,!aign
storyH he character ,ust seek out another such ani,al, and ,ay only be satisfied -ith the
healthiest, strongest, greatest e5a,!les of this ani,al Min other -ords, if the character
a!!ears to be content to settle -ith less, the D) tells hi,, LCou sense you -on@t be able
to bond -ith this ani,al . . . LNI then there ,ust be so,e sort of bonding ritual bet-een
beast and ,an Mfor e5a,!le, a !hysical co,bat -here the hu,an ,ust be able to saddle
and ride the ani,al in s!ite of its s!irited atte,!ts to thro- hi,N. &nly then can the
character have his ne- ani,al.
Aollo-ing is a list of ,any ani,als -hich are a!!ro!riate ,ounts for the Beast<(ider.
#ote that not all of the, are included in the Monstrous Compendium seriesI if a !layer
chooses one not included there, and the D) a!!roves the choice, the D) -ill have to
-ork u! the ani,al@s abilities.
Bat, 8uge GP M,obatN Mgno,es and halflings only ,ay rideN
Bear
Boar
Buffalo
Ca,el
Dol!hin '
Dragon GP Monly allo-able in very high<!o-ered heroic ca,!aignsN Ele!hant
%riffon G
8i!!ogriff G
8orse
8yaenodon
Li"ard MAire, %iant, or )inotaurN
Lobster, %iant '
*egasus G
(ay, )anta '
Sea<8orse, %iant'
S,ilodon
iger, Wild
$nicorn Mtraditionally, only virgin la-ful<good fe,ales ,ay rideN
Wolf, Dire Mevil characters could bond -ith a Winter WolfN
G Alying ani,als do tend to change the nature of a ca,!aign, es!ecially a lo-<level
ca,!aign, by ,aking it easy for characters to go long distances Euickly, to avoid difficult
terrain, etc. he D) should disallo- any such choice if it -ill cause !roble,s in his
ca,!aign.
P Since ,any of these creatures are evil, the D) ,ay have to introduce into his ca,!aign
a nearly<identical race -ith neutral or good tendencies.
' his s!ecies only -orks if ,ost of the ca,!aign takes !lace in -atery do,ains.
o calculate the -eight<bearing abilities of these ani,als, co,!are the, to the list on
!age ;2 of the Player's Handbook. Choose the ani,al fro, that list ,ost rese,bling your
ani,al in si"e and ,ass, and then use the values for that ani,al.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 As ,entioned earlier, the Beast<(ider is out of !lace in ,ost
societies. 8e takes a =9 negative reaction adDust,ent -hen ,eeting #*Cs fro, any
culture but his o-n. Mhe !layer<characters do not have to be hostile to the Beast<(ider if
they do not -ish, ho-ever.N
Also, should the Beast<(ider@s ani,al ever die, -hether it@s in the Beast<(ider@s !resence
or far a-ay, the Beast<(ider i,,ediately takes 6dO !oints of da,age and ,ust ,ake a
saving thro- vs. s!ells. +f he fails the saving thro-, he behaves as if he -ere a ,agic<user
hit -ith )eeblemind for the ne5t 6dO hours. Even if he ,akes the saving thro-, the !layer
should role<!lay the character@s reactionsFhe@s Dust felt, through their tele!athic link, the
death of his beloved friend, after all.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he Beast<(ider gets the ordinary :d3507 g! for starting gold. Like
the Barbarian, ho-ever, he ,ust s!end it all Mbefore starting !layN e5ce!t 9 g! or less.
Ra(es4 his is a kit that is es!ecially a!!ro!riate for de,ihu,an characters. +t@s easy
to envision d-arves on boars, elves on dire -olves, sea<elves on giant sea<horses, and so
on.
Notes4 +t adds a lot of detail and color to a ca,!aign if the D) does a certain a,ount
of -ork creating the society of each Beast<(ider tribe. he tribe@s behavior and activities
-ould be dictated by the ty!e of ani,al it -as tied toH 8orse<(iders -ould live on the
!lains, riding far and -ide, -hile Boar<(iders -ould live in forests and ,oist botto,<land,
fe- ever travelling ,ore than five ,iles fro, their ho,e village.
3erserker
Des(ri!tion4 he Berserker is a -arrior -ho has s!ecial attributes and abilities -hen
he@s in co,bat. +n co,bat, he can achieve an ecstatic state of ,ind that -ill enable hi, to
fight longer, harder, and ,ore savagely than any hu,an being has a right to. his ,akes
hi, a deadly -arrior . . . -ho can be as ,uch a ,enace to hi,self as to his ene,ies. +n a
ca,!aign, he@s nearly identical to the BarbarianFe5ce!t it@s obvious fro, the outset that
he has a truly savage and inhu,an ele,ent in his !ersonality, and he tends to disturb and
unsettle other !eo!le.
Like the Barbarian, the Berserker must ha*e a :trength ability s"ore o) 69 or more/
Role4 +n his tribe, the Berserker has a s!ecial role. 8e@s been touched by su!ernatural
forces, and acce!ted that touch so that he ,ight better defend his !eo!le.
he idea of a Berserker *aladin is a little strange, and so,e D,s -ill !refer not to
allo- it. hat@s fine. +t@s not al-ays ina!!ro!riate, though. +f the character@s tribe is dee!ly
involved -ith an a!!ro!riate ani,al tote,, such as a bear or -olverine, a !aladin ,ight
even be re<uired to be a Berserker, since the D) ,ay reason that it@s only the
su!ernatural touch of the tote, ani,al s!irit that gives the !aladin his other !o-ers. But,
again, that@s u! to the individual D).
Se(ondary Skills4 As -ith the Barbarian, the D) -ill decide -hat sort of secondary
skill is ,ost a!!ro!riate for that s!ecific barbarianJberserker tribe.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 #o s!ecific -ea!on !roficiencies are reEuired of the
BerserkerFbut he ,ay not start out !lay having a !roficiency in a ranged -ea!on Mno
thro-n a5es or knives, no bo-s or crossbo-s, etc.N. he Berserker lives to destroy things
in hand<to<hand co,bat, so he cannot start !lay -ith any sort of ranged -ea!on
!roficiency. 8e can learn others during the course of the ca,!aign, if he and his D) -ish
to allo- itFbut it@s a little out of character for the Berserker.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficiencyH Endurance. (eco,,endedH %eneralF
Ani,al 8andling, Ani,al raining, Direction Sense, Aire<Building, (iding MLand<BasedN,
Weather Sense, MWarriorN Blind<Aighting, 8unting, )ountaineering, (unning, Set Snares,
Survival, racking, M*riestFcosts t-ice the listed nu,ber of slots if Aighter or (angerN
8erbalis,, M(ogueFcosts double slotsN Ju,!ing. As -ith the Barbarian, the D) ,ay
choose to insist that the Berserker character take a !roficiency in the tribal s!ecialty
Mra!!ing, Agriculture, etc.N.
E-i!"ent4 As -ith the Barbarian, the Berserker ,ay not use his starting gold to buy
ar,or heavier than s!lint ,ail, banded ,ail, or bron"e !late ,ail. &nce he has adventured
in the outer -orld, he can use any ty!e of ar,or -ithout !enalty. When he s!ends his
starting gold, he ,ust li,it hi,self to -ea!ons kno-n to his tribe, and ,ay not choose
,issile -ea!ons. %ood choices include battle a5e, club, dagger or dirk, foot,an@s flail,
,ace, or !ick, hand a5e, s!ear, or s-ord ManyN.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 Berserkers receive a P9 reaction adDust,ent bonus fro, #*Cs
belonging to any tribe that also has BerserkersFthey recogni"e the Berserker instinctively
and res!ect hi,, even if he is an ene,y.
he other benefit the Berserker receives is his Berserk.
At any ti,e, the Berserker ,ay choose to %o Berserk. his isn@t an instantaneous
!rocessFhe ,ust s!end a little ti,e to L!sych hi,self u!.L +t takes a full turn Mten co,bat
roundsN to %o Berserk. +n that ti,e, the character is gro-ling, ,oaning, uttering
i,!recations . . . it@s i,!ossible to be Euiet -hen trying to %o Berserk. 8e ,ay also be
fighting during that ti,e, ,eaning that he can start to %o Berserk on the round the fight
begins, fight for ten full rounds, and then be Berserk on the eleventh round.
&f course, -hen the Berserker kno-s a fight is co,ing, he can begin to %o Berserk,
even if there is no fight currently going on. At the end of a full turn of !re!aration, he can
beco,e Berserk instantaneously. +f there@s no ene,y in sight yet, he can hold the Berserk
until co,bat is engaged. But if no co,bat takes !lace -ithin five ,ore full turns, he
auto,atically reverts to Lnor,alL and suffers the ordinary conseEuences for co,ing out of
a Berserk Mdescribed belo-N. he character can co,e out of his Berserk once the last
ene,y is do-n Mhe ,ust literally be do-n on the ground, even if still alive and
surrenderingI the Berserker -ill stay berserk and continue fighting so long as there are
ene,ies still on their feetN. &nce the fight ends, the Berserker ,ust co,e out of his
Berserk state.
Aor these reasons, Berserking is a ,ore a!!ro!riate reaction -hen the characters are
about to attack or be attacked by a foe they kno- about. +f the characters are, instead,
Du,!ed by a s,all !arty of orcs, it@s usually not -orth the effort to %o BerserkI the
conseEuences and effort out-eigh the benefits.
When Berserk, the character has !heno,enal endurance and resistance to !ain and
so,e for,s of ,agic. &nly -hile Berserk, he gains the follo-ing benefitsH
M0N 8e is i,,une Mno Saving hro- is necessaryN to the -i"ard s!ells "harm person.
)riends. hypnotism. sleep. irritation. ray o) en)eeblement. s"are. geas. and the clerical
s!ells "ommand. "harm person or mammal. enthrall. "loak o) bra*ery. and symbol.
M6N 8e gets a P3 to save against the -i"ard s!ells blindness. Tasha's un"ontrollable
hideous laughter. hold person. "harm monster. and "on)usion. and the clerical s!ells hold
person and hold animal/
M9N he emotion s!ell has no effect on the Berserker, unless the caster chose the )ear
result. +f )ear -as chosen, the Berserker gets a nor,al Saving hro-I if he ,akes it, he
continues on as before, but if he fails it, he is !re,aturely sna!!ed out of his Berserk, -ith
all the nor,al effects of co,ing out of the Berserk Mbut he doesn@t suffer other fear effectN.
he )ear s!ell has e5actly the sa,e effectH +f he saves, there is no effect, and if he doesn@t
save, he@s sna!!ed out of the Berserk. +f he fails a saving thro- against "harm monster, he
si,!ly counts the caster as one of his alliesI he doesn@t co,e out of the Berserk or obey
the caster@s co,,ands.
M3N Being Berserk offers no real !rotection fro, )inger o) death. e5ce!t that the s!ell
effects do not take !lace until the character has co,e out of his Berserk. +f the Berserker
saves, he doesn@t suffer the 6d2P0 da,age until i,,ediately after he sna!s out of the
Berserk. +f he fails to save, he doesn@t die until he sna!s out of the Berserk.
M:N he Berserker, -hile Berserk, is i,,une to 4& results fro, the *unching and
Wrestling rules, and takes only half da,age fro, bare<handed attacks fro, these rules.
MON While Berserk, the character gets P0 to attack, P9 to da,age, and P: h!.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he Berserker has hindrances as severe as all those benefits he
receives.
M0N he Berserker character receives a =9 reaction fro, all #*Cs Me5ce!t, that is,
characters fro, tribes -hich have berserkers in the,, as described aboveN.
M6N When the Berserker goes Berserk, the D) should i,,ediately say to hi,, Lell ,e
ho- ,any hit !oints you currently have.L Aro, that !oint until the fight is done and the
Berserker has returned to nor,al, the D) kee!s track of his hit !oints. he !layer is not
told ho- ,any h! he has left, nor ho- ,any !oints of da,age he is taking -ith each
attack. MAfter all, the character can feel no !ain . . . so he cannot kee! track of ho- close
he is to death.N he D) si,!ly tells hi, so,ething likeH Lhe orc<ca!tain hits you -ith
his a5e, a ,ighty blo- -hich you barely feel . . .L +t is therefore very !ossible for a
Berserker to be nickled and di,ed to death and not kno- it until he dro!s dead. he D)
can also, if he so chooses, roll all Saving hro-s for the Berserker, not telling the !layer
-hether they -ere failures or successes.
M9N While Berserk, the character can use no ranged -ea!ons. 8e kills only in hand<to<
hand or ,elee<-ea!on co,bat.
M3N While Berserk, he ,ust fight each o!!onent until that o!!onent is do-n. &nce an
o!!onent is felled, the Berserker ,ust ,ove to the nearest ene,y and attack him. 8e
can@t, for instance, choose to attack the ene,y leader if that leader is behind seven ranks of
s!ear,en. he Berserker ,ust kee! fighting until all ene,ies are do-n, as described
earlier.
M:N While Berserk, the character cannot take cover against ,issile fire.
MON +f, -hile the character is Berserk, another character tries so,ething he can
inter!ret as attack Mfor instance, hits hi, to ,ove hi, out of the -ay of an inco,ing
attack,N the Berserker ,ust roll 0d67 vs. his +ntelligence. +f he succeeds Mthat is, rolls his
+ntelligence score or lessN, he@s di,ly a-are that his friend is not attacking hi,. +f he fails
Mrolls higher than his +ntelligenceN, he no- thinks his friend is an ene,y, and continues to
think so until the fight is done and he is no longer Berserk.
M;N While Berserk, the character is te,!orarily unaffected by the clerical s!ells bless.
"ure light (ounds. aid. "ure serious (ounds. "ure "riti"al (ounds. heal. regenerate Mand
(itherN. 8e -ill gain the benefits of those s!ells only a)ter he has co,e out of his Berserk
and suffered any and all da,ages -hich occurred then.
M2N he taunt s!ell is auto,atically successful, and -ill cause the Berserker to abandon
his current ene,y and rush to attack the taunter.
M1N Ainally, -hen the character co,es out of his Berserk, bad things ha!!en to hi,. 8e
loses the : h! he gained -hen he beca,e Berserk. Mhis could dro! hi, to or belo- 7 h!
and kill hi,, of course.N 8e colla!ses in e5haustion Me5actly as if hit by a ray o)
en)eeblement, no saving thro- !ossible, for one round for every round he -as Berserk.
8e suffers the effects of any s!ells -hich -ait until he@s returned to nor,al before affecting
hi, M)inger o) death, for instanceN. And only then can healing s!ells affect hi,.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he Berserker gets the ordinary :d3507 g! for starting gold. Like
the Barbarian, ho-ever, he ,ust s!end it all Mbefore starting !layN e5ce!t three g! or less.
Ra(es4 +t@s the D)@s choice as to -hether his de,ihu,an characters can have
Berserkers a,ong the,. +t@s entirely a!!ro!riate for d-arves, and not ina!!ro!riate for
elves, gno,es and half<elves. 8alfling Berserkers are not very likely. +n any case,
de,ihu,an Berserkers -ould not advertise the fact that they -ere suchI until the first ti,e
they Berserked in co,bat, their co,!anions -ould !robably be una-are that they -ere
Berserkers. Mhe D) can hel! !reserve the secret by not !ublici"ing the fact that all
#*Cs are taking a =9 to reaction rolls concerning the Berserker characters.N
Ca.alier
Des(ri!tion4 he Cavalier is the ulti,ate ,ounted -arrior of civili"ed cultures,
es!ecially those of )iddle Ages technology and outlook. +n a ca,!aign, he@s the shining
knight -ho leads his fello-s on an eternal Euest for truth, Dustice, and the eli,ination of
evil. o the -orld at large, he@s a ,ighty hero. o his friends and allies, he@s a staunch
friend, a tireless cheerleader, and often an overenthusiastic !ain in the neck.
his is a good Warrior 4it for !aladins to take. +t can be argued that !aladins look
so,ething like this already, but that isn@t necessarily soH &nly !aladins of cultures
rese,bling ,edieval Euro!e -ould look like this Ma !aladin of a Ja!anese<ty!e culture, a
!aladin of a *olynesian<like culture, and a !aladin of a culture rese,bling later
(enaissance Euro!e -ould all be very different fro, the CavalierN. herefore, a !aladin
-ho -ants to look every inch the shining knight should take the Cavalier Warrior 4it.
he Cavalier kit rese,bles the #oble Warrior kit ME.v.N in that both are noble,en
-arriors, but the #oble Warrior is !ri,arily interested in defending the rights and
,aintaining the status Euo of his social class, -hile the Cavalier !ursues loftier goals.
o be a cavalier, the character ,ust be of any good align,ent Mchaotic good, neutral
good, la-ful goodN and have at least the follo-ing ,ini,u, ability scoresH Strength 0:,
De5terity 0:, Constitution 0:, +ntelligence 07, Wisdo, 07.
Also, the character ,ust belong to the noble social class in the ca,!aign. +t@s u! to the
D) to deter,ine -hether this is !ossible. +f his ca,!aign uses a rando, die<roll to
deter,ine -ho@s nobility and -ho isn@t, then the character ,ust first successfully roll to be
noble in order to be a Cavalier. +f it@s ,ore of a role<!laying e5ercise in the ca,!aign, then
any character -ho takes the Cavalier Warrior 4it -ill be !resu,ed to be of the nobility.
Mhis doesn@t ,ean that he has a lot of ,oneyI it@s Euite likely that he belongs to an
i,!overished noble fa,ily, one -ith a lot of honorable tradition but no ,oney to s!eak
of.N
Aighters and *aladins ,ay be CavaliersI (angers ,ay not. &nly hu,ans, elves, and
half<elves ,ay be Cavaliers.
Role4 +n his o-n and si,ilar cultures, the Cavalier is a ,ighty hero -ho has the
res!ect of the ,aDority of the !o!ulation Mthe cri,inal classes and evil characters
e5ce!tedN. 8e has the good<-ill of the !eo!le Mreflected as bonuses to his reaction rollsN,
but the !eo!le also ,ake ,any de,ands of hi,H When there@s danger, -hen so,eone is in
trouble, the !eo!le turn to the Cavalier for hel!. his character does not get ,uch ti,e for
rest and rela5ation.
Se(ondary Skills4 +f you@re using the Secondary Skills rules, the Cavalier ,ust take
%roo,.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 (eEuiredH Lance ManyI !layer choiceN and S-ord ManyI !layer
choiceN. (eco,,endedH All other Lances, all other S-ords, all 8orse,en@s -ea!ons,
Dagger, S!ear, Javelin.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH (iding, MLand<based, horseN,
EtiEuette. (eco,,endedH Ani,al 8andling, Ani,al raining, Dancing, 8eraldry, M*riest,
double slots unless *aladinN )usical +nstru,ent, (eadingJWriting, MWarriorN Blind<
Aighting, Endurance.
E-i!"ent4 he Cavalier ,ust start !lay -ith Mi.e., s!end his initial gold onN at least
t-o -ea!ons, including one lance and one s-ord, and ,ust then buy the ,ost e5!ensive
set of ar,or he can still afford. After those e5!enditures, -hatever re,ains of his gold can
be s!ent on ite,s of his choice.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he Cavalier enDoys ,any s!ecial benefits, includingH
At 0st level, he gets a P0 to attack rolls -ith any lance for -hich he has !roficiency,
-hen using the lance fro, horseback. his goes u! P0 every si5 e5!erience levels Mso he@ll
be P6 at ;th level, P9 at 09th, etc.N.
At 9rd level, he gets a P0 to attack rolls -ith any one ty!e of s-ord Mhis choice fro,
a,ong those he has !roficiency -ithI ,ost co,,on are broad s-ord, long s-ord, bastard
s-ord, and sci,itarN. his goes u! P0 every si5 e5!erience levels Mso he@ll be P6 at 1th
level, P9 at 0:th, etc.N.
At :th level, he gets a P0 to attack rolls -ith either horse,an@s ,ace, horse,an@s flail,
or horse,an@s !ick Mhis choice fro, a,ong those he has !roficiency -ithN. his goes u!
P0 every si5 e5!erience levels Mso he@ll be P6 at 00th level, P9 at 0;th level, etc.N.
hese !luses to attack rolls do not add to da,age, and don@t allo- the Cavalier to hit a
,onster that can only be hit by ,agical -ea!ons.
he Cavalier is co,!letely i,,une to the )ear s!ell. Because he is so brave, he
ins!ires others to courage, and so, -hile he is fighting, he actually radiates an emotion
s!ell in a 07@ radius. his emotion s!ell radiates courage Msee the -riteu! for the 3th<level
-i"ard s!ell e,otionN, but only to the e5tent that it negates )earI it does not besto- the
berserk fury that the actual -i"ard s!ell !rovides.
he Cavalier is P3 to save vs. all ,agic -hich -ould affect his ,ind, such as the
-i"ard s!ells "harm person. )riends. hypnotism. sleep. irritation. ray o) en)eeblement.
s"are. and geas, and the clerical s!ells "ommand. "harm person or mammal. enthrall.
"loak o) bra*ery. and symbol.
he Cavalier starts !lay -ith a horse -hich he does not have to !ay for. his -ill be
either a heavy -ar horse, ,ediu, -ar horse, or light -ar horse Msee the Monstrous
Manual Dolume ?ne entry on 8orsesN. he !layer ,ay choose -hat sort of horse it is,
subDect to the D)@s a!!roval. +t -ill auto,atically be a Charger Msee the section on 8orse
Kuality in the Dungeon Master Guide. !age 9ONI the D) ,ay roll for its !ersonality traits
according to those rules. +f this horse dies, the Cavalier has to acEuire hi,self another one
through the usual ca,!aign ,eans Mbuy one, be given one for noble deeds, etc.N, but -ill
not be content -ith any horse -hich is not a -ar horse of Charger Euality.
he Cavalier receives a P9 reaction fro, anyone of his o-n culture Me5ce!t cri,inals
and characters of evil align,ent, fro, -ho, he receives a =9N.
And finally, the Cavalier has the right to de,and shelter. When he travels, he can
de,and shelter fro, anyone in his o-n nation -ho is of status lo-er than nobility. And
,ost !eo!le of his o-n status or higher -ill be ha!!y to offer hi, shelter -hen he is
travelling.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 Aor all these benefits, the Cavalier has so,e !retty hefty
hindrances as -ell.
he Cavalier cannot attack an o!!onent at range if he can instead charge ahead and
attack hi, in ,elee or Dousting co,bat. herefore, he cannot sni!e on ene,ies -ith a
bo- or crossbo-I he cannot use a !olear, fro, behind a shield -all. 8e has to be on the
front line, ,eeting his foes face<to<face. MA Cavalier could conceivably shoot an o!!onent
-ith an arro- to sto! that o!!onent fro, killing an innocent !ersonI that doesn@t
constitute a violation of his code. But he couldn@t shoot the ene,y to !rotect a friend if
his friend is fighting that ene,y honorably . . . even if his friend is losing.N
+n any co,bat, the Cavalier ,ust attack the ene,y -ho is the biggest and ,ost
!o-erful<looking. +f he@s held u! by lesser troo!s, he ,ust dis!atch the, as Euickly as
!ossible and then get to his LrealL o!!onent.
8e ,ust al-ays have the highest<Euality ar,or he can afford. As he goes through his
early e5!erience levels, if he has the ,oney, he@ll constantly be selling his old ar,or and
buying the ne5t ,ost !rotective set of ar,or. 8is goal is to have a set of full !late ar,orI
the ne5t ste! do-n fro, that is field !late, then !late ,ail, then bron"e !late ,ail, then
banded or s!lint, then chain, then scale or brigandine, then ring or studded. And to hi,,
,agic bonuses don@t ,ean as ,uch as the ty!e of ar,orH 8e !refers a suit of ordinary field
!late to a set of banded mail =9/ he D) ,ust rigorously enforce this li,itation on the
character if the !layer is inclined to ignore it.
he Cavalier ,ust also follo- the very strict Code of Chivalry. +n ,ost AD&D ga,e
ca,!aigns, his code includes these rulesH 8e ,ust cheerfully !erfor, any noble service or
Euest asked of hi,I he ,ust defend, to the death, any !erson or ite, !laced in his chargeI
he ,ust sho- courage and enter!rise -hen obeying his rulersI he ,ust sho- res!ect for
all !eers and eEualsI he ,ust honor all those above his station Mhis social classNI he ,ust
demand res!ect and obedience fro, those belo- his stationI he ,ust scorn those -ho are
lo-ly and ignoble Mhe -ill not hel! the ill<,annered, the coarse, the crudeI he -ill not use
eEui!,ent -hich is badly<,ade or inferiorI he -ill fight on foot before riding a nagI etc.NI
he ,ust !erfor, ,ilitary service to his lord -henever askedI he ,ust sho- courtesy to all
ladies Mif the Cavalier is ,aleNI he ,ust regard -ar as the flo-ering of chivalry, and a noble
enter!riseI he ,ust regard battle as the test of ,anhood, and co,bat as gloryI he ,ust
achieve !ersonal glory in battleI he ,ust slay all those -ho o!!ose his causeI and he ,ust
choose death before dishonor.
+f a Cavalier chooses not to follo- this code, bad things ha!!en. he first ti,e he
breaks his vo-s, the D) -ill -arn the !layer that the Cavalier feels bad about violating
his code. he second ti,e he breaks his vo-s, the Cavalier loses all his s!ecial benefits
until such ti,e as he re!ents and undertakes a dangerous task to redee, hi,self. When
!erfor,ing this task, he ,ust behave according to his code and his hindrances. &nly -hen
the task is successfully acco,!lished does he regain his benefits.
+f the Cavalier breaks his vo- a third ti,e -ithout re!enting and undertaking that
task, he has abandoned his Cavalier Warrior 4it. 8e !er,anently loses all the s!ecial
benefits of the 4it. 8e no longer has to obey his knightly code. 8e receives a !er,anent =
9 reaction adDust,ent fro, all ,e,bers of his o-n culture Meven those -ho do not kno-
of his !ast -ill be !ut off by the air of treachery and faithlessness that no- haunts the
,anN. 8is horse, even if it is not the one he began !lay -ith, leaves hi,Feither rides off
into the sunset -ithout hi,, or attacks hi,. 8e ,ay never ride it again, even if he kills it
trying to do so. See LAbandoning a 4itL later in this cha!ter.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he Cavalier gets the standard :d3507 g! in starting gold.
Ra(es4 &f the de,ihu,an races, only elves and half<elves ,ay be Cavaliers.
Gladiator
Des(ri!tion4 he gladiator is a sho-,an<-arrior fro, a society -here !ublic co,bat
co,!etitions are a !o!ular s!ort. he gladiator is a !rofessional -arrior in this high<
!rofile arenaI for the delight Mand bloodlustN of the cro-ds, for his o-n !ersonal -ealth
and aggrandi"e,ent Mor, if he is a slave, for the !rofits of his o-nerN, he fights organi"ed
,atches against hu,an, de,ihu,an, and even ,onstrous o!!onents.
here are no s!ecial ability<score reEuire,ents to be a %ladiator.
Role4 Aor the %ladiator to a!!ear in a ca,!aign, the D) ,ust establish that at least
one culture has gladiatorial co,bats, and the %ladiator character ,ust co,e fro, such a
culture. M8e need not have been born there . . . but he -ill either have been a slave there
or, if he -as a free,an, -ill feel like a naturali"ed citi"en there.N A %ladiator !layer<
character can be an active gladiator in the arena, one -ho adventures in his free ti,e Mor
-ithin so,e other conte5t of the current adventureN, or can have for,erly been a gladiator
no- living the life of the adventurer.
+n the ca,!aign, the %ladiator is going to be a sho-y, high<!rofile -arrior. 8e
!erfor,s dangerous stunts in co,bat. 8e attracts the attention of cro-ds of ad,irers. 8e
receives a lot of credit for brave deeds -hether he deserves the credit or not. A %ladiator
can be a callous brute, a dirty arena fighter -ith no interests other than killing his ene,y as
Euickly as !ossible and ,aking off -ith his !ri"eI or he can be a clean<li,bed, heroic
figure, a hero -ho al-ays fights honorably in the arena and never kills -hen he does not
have to.
D)s take noteH a %ladiator character is not likely to be a (anger. Cou can !er,it it if
you -ish, but (angers are very -ilderness<oriented characters, and %ladiators are very
urban. A (anger could have been ca!tured, enslaved, trained as a %ladiator, and then
esca!edFbut still, the (anger and %ladiator !ersonalities don@t see, to -ork together
very -ell. Allo- this only if you really -ish to.
+t@s u! to the D) to decide -hether there are fe,ale gladiators on his -orld. $nless
his ca,!aign is already rigidly set u! to !revent it, he ,ight as -ell allo- itI a she<
gladiator character could be a very interesting one.
Se(ondary Skills4 he %ladiator character receives his secondary skill through
-hatever ,eans is usual for the ca,!aignFby choice or rando, die<roll. his skill
!robably re!resents the trade he learned before beco,ing a %ladiator.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 (eEuiredH short s-ord MgladiusN, trident, net. %ladiators
should learn an even ,i5 of nor,al and unusual -ea!onsI the D) is -ithin his rights to
insist that the %ladiator learn one strange -ea!on !roficiency Msuch as -hi!N for every
Lnor,alL !roficiency Mlike s-ord, s!ear, etc.N. MAlso, see the !<uipment cha!ter, under
L#e- Ar,sL and L#e- Ar,or,L for -ea!ons and ar,or es!ecially a!!ro!riate to
%ladiator characters.N
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH MWarriorN Charioteering, M(ogueN
u,bling Mfor the co,bat sho-,anshi! that characteri"es arena fightingN. (eco,,endedH
M%eneralN Ani,al 8andling, Ani,al raining, EtiEuette, (iding MLand<BasedN, MWarriorN
Ar,orer, Blind<Aighting, Endurance, %a,ing, Wea!on<s,ithing, M*riestN 8ealing Mdouble
slots unless *aladinN.
E-i!"ent4 he %ladiator ,ay buy any sort of non<,agical -ea!on or co,bination
of -ea!ons before beginning !lay. 8o-ever, he ,ust choose his ar,or fro, the listing of
%ladiator Ar,or in the !<uipment cha!ter, under L#e- Ar,ors.L
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 %ladiators, because of their intensive training, get a )ree Wea!on
S!eciali"ation Msee under LWea!on S!eciali"ationL in the 6nd Edition Player's HandbookN.
his doesn@t cost any of their beginning -ea!on !roficienciesH hey still get all four of
those, and get this S!eciali"ation free. +t ,ust be chosen fro, one of the follo-ing
-ea!onsH bo- MchoiceN, cestusG, dagger, drususG, lassoG, netG, sci,itar, short s-ord,
s!ear, trident, and -hi!. Mhe LGL indicates a ne- -ea!on found in the !<uipment
cha!ter.N
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 %ladiators tend to be recogni"edFas %ladiators, at least, if not
by their o-n na,esF-herever they go. his ,akes it ,ore difficult for the, to do things
in secretI so,e troubleso,e #*C is al-ays re,e,bering Lthe tall, fair<haired gladiatorL
-ho -as at the scene of the action, -hich ,akes it very easy for the authorities to follo-
the heroes@ trail. Mhis is so,ething the D) -ill have to enforce scru!ulously if the
%ladiator is to have hindrances offsetting his benefits.N
Also, and this is strictly a role<!laying consideration, !ro,oters and ,anagers are
al-ays interfering in the %ladiator@s lifeH rying to hire hi, to !artici!ate in certain<death
events, to fight !eo!le the %ladiator doesn@t -ant to fight, to force hi, to !artici!ate in
events taking !lace at the e5act ti,e the %ladiator needs to be so,e-here else, etc. hese
!ro,oters -ill go to any length to get their -ayI they ,ay black,ail the character, kidna!
his follo-ers, use the ti,e<honored bait of a gorgeous ro,antic interest M-ho, the
%ladiator doesn@t i,,ediately reali"e is an e,!loyee of the !ro,oterN, and so forth.
o ,ake sure this is regarded as a hindrance, the D) should ,ake it clear that these
!ro,oters are ,ostly of the slea"y variety -ho -ill cheat, rob and betray hi, at the dro!
of a hat.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he %ladiator gets the standard :d3507 g! to s!end, and ,ay s!end
it any -ay he chooses MsubDect to the restrictions listed in LEEui!,ent,L i,,ediately
aboveN or have it all uns!ent at the beginning of !lay.
Ra(es4 Any de,ihu,an -arrior can be a %ladiator. &!erators of the arenas try to
acEuire as ,any different, unusual fighters as they can, by hiring or enslaving the,, and
de,ihu,ans M-hen they can be acEuiredN are ,aDor attractions.
/yr"idon
Des(ri!tion4 he )yr,idon is the ulti,ate soldier. Soldiering is his life. 8e ,ay be a
high<ranking officer or a career sergeantI he ,ay belong to one nation@s ar,ed forces or
,ay be a ,ercenary. o the ca,!aign and the adventuring !arty, he brings disci!line and a
useful understanding of ,ilitary tacticsI he@s often rigid and conte,!tuous of rugged
individualists or characters -ho don@t like to take orders, so he can cause a lot of friction
in an adventuring !arty, too.
When first created, the )yr,idon@s !layer ,ust decide -hether his character is !art of
a standing ar,y or a ,ercenary unit. +f he@s !art of a standing ar,y, he@s e,!loyed as a
soldier or officer in the ar,y of a nation, large region, city guard, or even !alaceJcastle
guard. +f he@s !art of a ,ercenary unit, he belongs to a grou! of freelance soldiers -ho
hire the,selves to Dust about anyone -ho can !ayI or ,ay be a !ersonal bodyguard. he
D) -ill have the deciding vote in -hat sort of force the )yr,idon belongs toI if, for
instance, the D) doesn@t -ant to have an all<,ilitary ca,!aign, he@ll !robably insist that
the )yr,idon be a ,ercenary, currently e,!loyed by a !layer<character or #*C i,!ortant
to the current story.
8o-ever, in the course of the ca,!aign, the )yr,idon@s e,!loy,ent can change,
once or several ti,es. 8e ,ay start out as a ,ercenary bodyguardI later in the ca,!aign,
he ,ay find hi,self co,,anding a s,all ,ercenary force in a border -arI later still, he
,ay acce!t a co,,ission in the king@s ar,y and find hi,self a regular officer.
he choice of -hether the character is of a non<co,,issioned rank Msuch as recruit,
!rivate, or sergeantN or an officer@s rank Msuch as ca!tainN is entirely u! to the D), -ho@ll
,ake his choice based on -hat -orks best in his ca,!aign@s current storyline.
o be a )yr,idon, the character ,ust have scores of at least 06 in Strength and
Constitution.
Role4 +n the ca,!aign@s culture, the )yr,idon is a career soldier. +n ti,es of -ar,
they@re heroes to the nation. +n ti,es of !eace, the co,,on folk often look on the, as
!arasites, living off ta5es but !roviding no useful service. )ercenaries are often looked on
as bandits and !redators. (egardless of the !ublic@s o!inion, though, the )yr,idon and
the standing ar,y are necessary to the defense of the nation, and so there are al-ays
)yr,idons to be found.
Se(ondary Skills4 +f you@re using the Secondary Skills rules, the )yr,idon ,ay
choose his Secondary Skill, but ,ust choose it fro, the follo-ing listH Ar,orer,
Bo-yerJAletcher, Aorester, %roo,, 8unter, Leather -orker, #avigator, Sailor, Scribe,
ea,sterJAreighter, Wea!ons,ith.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 he )yr,idon ,ay s!end his Wea!on *roficiency slots any
-ay he chooses.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH Ancient 8istory Ms!ecifically )ilitary
8istoryN, Aire<Building. (eco,,endedH M%eneralN Ani,al 8andling, Cooking, 8eraldry,
(iding MLand<basedN, Sea,anshi!, S-i,,ing, Weather Sense, M*riest, double slots unless
*aladinN (eadingJWriting, M(ogue, double slotsN Disguise, MWarriorN Ar,orer, Blind<
Aighting, Bo-yerJAletcher, Charioteering, Endurance, #avigation, Set Snares, Survival,
racking, Wea!ons,ithing, MWi"ard, double slots unless (angerN (eadingJWriting.
E-i!"ent4 he )yr,idon ,ay s!end his starting gold on -hatever sort of ar,s,
ar,or, and eEui!,ent he chooses. +f, -hen he@s first created, it is agreed that he@ll be !art
of a s!ecific ,ilitary force -ith s!ecific eEui!,ent reEuire,ents, he@s reEuired to buy that
eEui!,ent, but the D) ,ust give hi, e5tra gold in the a,ount of half that cost.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he )yr,idon has t-o advantages of noteH
Airst, he gets a )ree Wea!on S!eciali"ation. 8e ,ust choose it fro, the follo-ing
grou!H Battle a5e, Bo- Mco,!osite long bo-, co,!osite short bo-, or long bo-N,
Crossbo- Mheavy crossbo- or light crossbo-N, Lance MchoiceN, *olear, MchoiceN, S!ear,
S-ord MchoiceN.
Second, the )yr,idon is usually in the e,!loy of so,e !o-erful !atron. he D) -ill
have to decide -hat i,,ediate benefits this grants hi,I they vary -ith the ty!e of
e,!loyer he is -orking for.
Aor instance, if he@s -orking for a -ealthy noble,an, he -on@t have to s!end any
,oney for roo, and board and -ill enDoy an u!!er<class e5istence.
&r, if he@s !art of a standing ar,y, he ,ay be i,,une to !rosecution by the civilian
authorities Mthough he can certainly face court ,artial for ,isdeedsN.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he )yr,idon is instantly recogni"able by his ,ilitary
de,eanor, erect !osture, disci!lined ,anneris,s, etc. Mhere are !lenty of soldiers and
,ercenaries -ho aren't )yr,idons -ho aren@t so distinctive.N Because he is distinctive,
the )yr,idon is easily re,e,bered and described by -itnesses to his adventuresI this
,akes it easier for the ene,y to identify hi, and follo- his trail if he@s trying to esca!e or
travel through dangerous territory.
A second hindrance is his e,!loyer. #aturally, his e,!loyer ,akes ,any de,ands on
the )yr,idon. +f the )yr,idon is a bodyguard, he ,ust acco,!any his e,!loyer Dust
about every-here, regardless of any !ersonal goals or interests the )yr,idon has. +f the
)yr,idon is a co,,on soldier, he@s subDect to the orders of his officers. +f the )yr,idon
is a ,ilitary officer, he@s subDect to the orders of his su!eriors or the local ruler, and bears
the added stress of having to look out for his ,en -henever they@re engaged in ,ilitary
action.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he )yr,idon receives the standard :d3507 g! starting gold.
Ra(es4 De!ending on the -ay the D) has set the ca,!aign u!, any de,ihu,an race
can have )yr,idons. )ercenary )yr,idon de,ihu,ans -ill be travelling ,ostly in
hu,an<occu!ied lands, -hile )yr,idon de,ihu,ans in standing ar,ies -ill usually stick
to their o-n race@s territories . . . although so,e s!ecial ones Mi.e., the !layer<charactersN
-ill often find the,selves sent out on s!ecial Euests and adventures all over the ca,!aign
-orld.
Noble *arrior
Des(ri!tion4 his character is of the nobility, and theoretically re!resents everything
the ruling class stands for. +n classic ,edieval fantasy, this ,eans chivalry, the !rotection
of -o,en Mthose -ho -ant to be !rotected, that isFit@s a bad idea to try to !rotect a
-o,an -arrior an5ious to !rove herself in co,batN, and Mes!eciallyN u!holding the rights
of the ruling class to rule Mand u!holding the rights of the other classes to serve . . . N.
#oble Warriors in ,ost ca,!aigns are called 4nights or SEuires, though s!ecific
ca,!aigns ,ay have different designations and be based on different sources than
,edieval Euro!ean history.
o be a #oble Warrior, a character ,ust have Strength and Constitution scores of 09
or betterFit@s -hat co,es of being forced to train in heavy !late ar,or for so ,any years.
Role4 +n a ca,!aign, the #oble Warrior is a ro,antic ideal -hich ,ost of society
looks u! to. he #oble Warrior is su!!osed to be courageous, gallant, !rotective of the
defenseless, dedicated to honorable ideals.
But that@s Dust -hat society e'pe"ts of the #oble Warrior. So,e theoretically #oble
Warriors are ,ere brutes in shiny ar,or, -arriors -ho take -hat they -ant, ,urder the
innocent, and continually betray the oaths they took -hen they first -on their s!urs. So
it@s u! to an individual !layer to decide -hat align,ent his #oble Warrior takes and ho-
-ell he lives u! to the !ertinent ideals.
Whether the #oble Warrior character is a 4night or a SEuire Mor so,e other
designationN de!ends on the ca,!aign and its D). Aro, the vie-!oint of convenience, it@s
best for #oble Warrior characters to begin !lay as young knights -ho have Dust -on their
s!ursI this -ill account for the fact that they have little ,oney Mthey@re Dust starting out as
free<lancersN or follo-ers, and for the fact that they@re -andering around adventuringI
they@re an5ious to !rove their ,ettle. +f the D) !refers, the starting #oble Warrior could
be the sEuire for an #*C knight, one -ho is aging and needs the stout s-ord<ar, of a
young sEuireI but here, the D) has to run the #*C knight until it@s ti,e for the sEuire
character to leave his knight.
Se(ondary Skills4 All #oble Warrior characters ,ust take the %roo, skill. SEuires are
e5!ected to care for their knights@ horses, and don@t forget this skill -hen they the,selves
beco,e knights.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 $nless the ca,!aign deals -ith a culture unlike ,edieval
Euro!e, all #oble Warriors ,ust take the follo-ing !roficienciesH long s-ord or bastard
s-ord M!layer choiceN, lance M!layer choice of ty!e, usually Dousting lanceN, and horse,an@s
flail or horse,an@s ,ace M!layer choiceN. he last !roficiency ,ay be used for a -ea!on of
the -arrior@s choice or to s!eciali"e in one of the reEuired choices.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH M%eneralN EtiEuette, 8eraldry, (iding
MLand<BasedN. (eco,,endedH M%eneralN Ani,al raining, Dancing, MWarriorN Blind<
Aighting, %a,ing, 8unting, racking, M*riest, cost double slots unless *aladinN Local
8istory, )usical +nstru,ent, (eadingJWriting.
E-i!"ent4 he #oble Warrior ,ay s!end his gold !retty ,uch as he choosesFbut
there are certain ,ini,u, standards he cannot violate. 8e cannot buy ar,or less
!rotective than brigandine or scale ,ail. Before starting !lay, he must buy a suit of ar,or,
a shield, at least one -ea!on larger than a dagger, a horse Mat least a riding horseN, riding
saddle, bit ' bridle, horseshoes and shoeing, halter and saddle blanket.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he #oble Warrior starts -ith ,ore gold than other Warrior 4itsI
see belo- under %ealth ?ptions. he #oble Warrior receives a P9 reaction fro, anyone
of his o-n culture. When travelling, he can de,and shelter fro, anyone in his o-n nation
-ho is of lo-er social status than he. )ost !eo!le of his o-n status or higher -ill offer
hi, shelter -hen he is travellingFu! to t-o !ersons ti,es the #oble Warrior@s e5!erience
level. Mhat is, if the #oble Warrior is fifth level, the !atron -ill offer shelter for the #oble
Warrior and u! to nine of his co,!anionsN. +n his o-n land, the #oble Warrior can
ad,inister lo- Dustice u!on co,,onersFact as Dudge, Dury and e5ecutioner for ,inor
cri,es he co,es across Mthe definition of L,inor cri,esL is necessarily u! to the D) of
the ca,!aign, but in general should include things like assault, !etty theft, etc.N.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 +n order to beco,e a #oble Warrior, the character has s-orn an
oath of loyalty to so,e greater noble. +f he@s sEuire to a knight, he has an oath to his
knight. +f he@s a knight hi,self, he@s s-orn an oath to his king or so,e other nobleFor
!erha!s to both. 8e@ll be e5!ected to live u! to that oath fro, ti,e to ti,eH Acco,!any
his lord into co,bat, !rovide troo!s to his lord, even beggar his o-n household in order
to su!!ort his lord@s needs.
Additionally, the #oble Warrior is e5!ected to live -ell. After he is created, he ,ust
add P07Q to the base cost of goods, eEui!,ent, and services he is buyingF)or ea"h
e'perien"e le*el he hasFto reflect his noble tastes and reEuire,ents.
his e5tra cost is not Dust a ti!. he character is buying higher<Euality goods. 8ere@s
ho- it -orks.
!'ample- :ir Amstard rides into to(n/ He's in need o) a ne( s(ord. a night's lodging
at the inn )or himsel) and his s<uire. and meals and baths )or both/ He's a 9th$le*el
Eoble %arrior/
He stops by a (eaponmaker/ The basi" "ost )or a long s(ord is 69 gp/ Amstard must
"hoose a better (eapon than the 4basi" long s(ord.4 and so "hooses a more de"orati*e
one ha*ing the e'a"t same "ombat "hara"teristi"s. but "osting gp and 9 sp/
He goes to the inn/ The basi" rate at that spe"i)i" inn is gp per night per person/
Amstard (on't settle )or the basi" room. though. and so pays A gp per night per person.
all )or better <uality rooms/ He pays F gp. one night's stay )or himsel) and his s<uire/
The t(o baths (ould be A "p ea"h. or F total/ Amstard. though. must ha*e soap and a
brush and the (ater heated espe"ially )or him 3and )or his s<uire. too50 total "ost is G "p/
And so on / / /
+f the #oble Warrior is unable to s!end this e5tra ,oney because of lack of funds, he
can settle for lesser goods . . . but his bonus to (eaction rolls -ill be reduced, at =0 !er
such incident, until it reaches P7, to reflect the fact that !eo!le are seeing that he is settling
for shabbier goods and other-ise not living u! to their e5!ectations of ho- a noble
-arrior should live. At the D)@s discretion, other !roble,s ,ay follo- thisH #obles fail to
offer hi, shelter or hel! because he@s such a shabby s!eci,en, he gets a re!utation as a
!enny<!incher, etc.
o retain his bonus, -hen the #oble Warrior is once again in the ,oney he ,ust do
-hatever it takes to u!grade his situation Mbuy ne- clothes, go on a buying s!ree, etc., at
the D)@s discretionN and his P9 reaction -ill return.
+f a #oble Warrior gets a bad re!utation, deservedly or undeservedly, his P9 reaction
beco,es a >F reaction fro, everybody -ho kno-s of the re!utation.
And Dust as other nobles are e5!ected to e5tend shelter to the #oble Warrior, he is
e5!ected to offer other nobles shelter -hen they are travelling through his territoryFor
-hen they ,eet on the road -hile he is enca,!ed and they are not, etc. Whenever a #oble
Warrior character is getting too cocky, the D) can have hi, visited by a nice, large cro-d
of nobles to -ho, he is e5!ected to offer shelter and food . . . and -ho !roceed to eat
hi, out of house and ho,e.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he #oble Warrior begins !lay -ith ,ore gold than other Warrior
4itsI he receives 66: g! plus the standard :d3507 g!. But do not forget that he is reEuired
to s!end a large !ortion of that on s!ecific ite,s described above . . .
Ra(es4 +t@s a!!ro!riate for any sort of de,ihu,an race to have a class of #oble
Warriors.
Peasant Hero
Des(ri!tion4 he *easant 8ero is the Llocal boy done good,L the ho,e<to-n -arrior
-ho fights and adventures to the delight of the !eo!le in his ho,e area. he *easant 8ero
is the ,ost co,,on sort of fighter found -andering the land and adventuringI every
village has one or has had one -ithin living ,e,ory.
here are no ability<score reEuire,ents to be a *easant 8ero.
Role4 +n the ca,!aign, the *easant 8ero is the fello- -ho -on@t forget that his roots
are in the country and in the soil. 8e can be a rebel against the cro-n in lands -here the
!easants are es!ecially o!!ressedI he can be the far,boy -ho beco,es a ,ighty generalI
he can be the noble@s child Msecretly raised by !easantsN -ho gro-s u! to fulfill an ancient
!ro!hecyI but in every case, he re,e,bers his origins and strives to ,ake things better for
his fa,ily and ho,e co,,unity.
Se(ondary Skills4 he !layer ,ay choose his character@s secondary skill.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 he !layer ,ay choose his character@s -ea!on !roficiencies,
but ,ay not choose any that the D) feels -ould be unusual for his ca,!aign<-orld@s
!easants. Short s-ord, s!ear, bo-, foot,an@s -ea!ons and the like are all very
a!!ro!riateI horse,an@s -ea!ons, e5otic !olear,s, lances, long s-ords, tridents and the
like are not. his is only a restriction (hen the "hara"ter is )irst "reated0 after-ards, of
course, he can learn any -ea!on he receives training -ith.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH Agriculture or Aishing M!layer
choiceN, Weather Sense or Ani,al Lore M!layer choiceN. (eco,,endedH Any of the
%eneral !roficiencies.
E-i!"ent4 he *easant 8ero ,ay s!end his starting gold any -ay he sees fit, but
,ay have no ,ore than 9 g! left -hen he begins !lay.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 #o ,atter -hat he@s done or -hat anyone thinks of hi,, the *easant
8ero al-ays has shelter and often has other hel! -hen he@s in his o-n co,,unity. $nless
it is kno-n that the *easant 8ero has hurt !eo!le fro, his o-n co,,unity, he@ll al-ays
find !eo!le to !ut hi, u!, hide hi, and co,!anions fro, the la-, su!!ly the, -ith food
and drink and -hat little -ea!onry can be scra!ed together Musually daggersN, and even
!rovide the, -ith hel!ersFearnest 7<level youths -ho -ant to gro- u! to be like their
hero.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 Since the *easant 8ero is looked u!on as a !atron and hero by
the !eo!le fro, his ho,e, they -ill freEuently co,e to hi, for hel!. Whenever the village
is losing !eo!le to nocturnal !redators, -henever a village overlord turns out to be a
dangerous tyrant, -henever a local citi"en is Dailed and tried for so,ething he didn@t do,
the citi"ens turn to the *easant 8ero for hel!. And if he turns the, a-ay, he loses their
res!ect and earns a =6 reaction fro, all of the !easants in the land until he is once again in
his ho,e co,,unity@s good graces.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he *easant 8ero gets the standard :d3507 g! starting ,oney.
Ra(es4 he *easant 8ero is a distinctly hu,an sort of characterI it@s also a!!ro!riate
to halflings, and to half<elves living a,ong hu,ans. But no other de,ihu,ans should have
*easant 8ero characters unless the D) decides that their cultures are very ,uch like rural
hu,an society.
Pirate6Otla5
Des(ri!tion4 his character is the heroic scoffla-, the -arrior -ho defies the la-s and
rulers of the land and steers his o-n course. $sually in the co,!any of other !irates or
outla-s, he fights the ,inions of the rulers he defies, and co,es to be regarded as a hero
by others -ho suffer at those rulers@ hands. he *irate, of course, is the adventurer of the
high seas, -ho ,akes his living raiding other shi!s and seacoast co,,unitiesI the &utla-
,akes his ho,e in the -ilderness Moften dee! forestN and !reys on the traffic ,oving
through that -ilderness.
here are no s!ecial ability<score reEuire,ents to be a *irate or &utla-.
Role4 +n a ca,!aign, the !irate or outla- can belong to one of t-o orientations.
Either he@s a Lgood guy,L and it is the la- and the rulers -ho are evil, or he is a Lbad guyL
and si,!ly takes -hat he -ants fro, those -ho have it. he !layer, therefore, gets to
decide on his character@s align,ent and M,isNdeeds.
#ote, though, that good guy !irates and outla-s tend to live by a very strict code of
conductFfor e5a,!le, the classic cine,a code of (obin 8ood and his )erry )en, -here
the outla-s robbed fro, the rich and gave to the !oor, and !rotected the defenseless -ith
,ore honor and "eal than England@s su!!osedly #oble Warriors did.
#aturally, if a !layer chooses to be a good guy in a co,!any of bad guys, or vice<
versa, -hen his co,!anions find out his true colors, they@ll !robably try to kill hi, or to
turn hi, in to the la- for the re-ard on his head.
Se(ondary Skills4 +f the character is a *irate, roll d077 for his Secondary Skill. &n a
70=;7, his Secondary Skill is SailorI on a ;0=27, it@s Shi!-rightI on 20=77, it@s #avigator.
+f the character is an &utla-, the character ,ay choose bet-een Bo-yerJAletcher,
Aorester, 8unter, and ra!!erJAurrier.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 +f the character is a *irate, he ,ust take the follo-ing
!roficienciesH CutlassG, and Belaying *inG or %affJ8ookG M!layer choiceN. +f the character
is an &utla-, he can take any -ea!on !roficiencies he chooses . . . but the D), if he@s
created this ca,!aign so that the outla-s have a s!ecial ,otif -ea!on Msuch as (obin
8ood@s )erry )en and their longbo-sN ,ay insist that all &utla- characters take a
s!ecific -ea!on !roficiency. (eco,,ended to classic )erry )an<ty!e outla-s are
longbo-, long s-ord and Euarterstaff. Mhe UUG@@ sy,bol indicates a ne- -ea!on found in
the !<uipment cha!ter.N
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 *irate@s Bonus *roficienciesH M%eneralN (o!e $se,
Sea,anshi!. *irate@s (eco,,ended *roficienciesH M%eneralN S-i,,ing, Weather Sense,
MWarriorN #avigation, M*riest, double slots unless *aladinN Engineering Mfor shi!buildingN,
(eadingJWriting Mfor ,a!,akingN, M(ogue, double slotsN A!!raising, Set Snares Min
association -ith (o!e $se skillN, ightro!e Walking, u,bling, MWi"ard, double slots
unless (angerN Engineering Mfor shi!buildingN, (eadingJWriting Mfor ,a!,akingN. &utla-@s
Bonus *roficienciesH Direction Sense, Aire<Building. &utla-@s (eco,,ended
*roficienciesH M%eneralN (iding MLand<BasedN, MWarriorN Ani,al Lore, Bo-yerJAletcher,
Endurance, 8unting, (unning, Set Snares, Survival, racking, M*riest, double slots unless
*aladinN 8ealing, 8erbalis,, Local 8istory, M(ogue, double slotsN Disguise. :pe"ial EoteH
Cour D) ,ay be a fan of the very acrobatic !irate or outla- ,ovies of the !ast, and
!refer that u,bling be one of your Bonus *roficiencies instead of one of the ones listedI
check -ith hi, to see if this is so.
E-i!"ent4 *irates and &utla-s co,e fro, -idely diverse backgrounds, so there@s
no real restriction on -hat they can buy -ith their starting ,oney. 8o-ever, it -ould be
foolish for either ty!e of character to buy ,etal ar,or of any kind Mbanded, brigandine,
bron"e !late, chain, field !late, full !late, !late ,ail, and ring ,ailN. *irates -earing such
ar,or in naval co,bat -ill inevitably fall overboard and sink Mthey can@t s-i, -ith such
stuff onNI if they@re lucky enough to get it off so they "an s-i,, they@ve lost the ar,or.
&utla-s living out in the -ild have their belongings e5!osed to the ele,ents, and ,etal
ar,or Euickly corrodes. herefore, it@s u! to the D) to kee! things in balance. +f a *irate
or &utla- buys ,etal ar,or and kee!s it sto-ed a-ay for s!ecial occasions M,aDor land
engage,ents, cli,actic battles, etc.N, that@s fine. But if they -ear such stuff all the ti,e, the
D) should continually take it a-ay fro, the, through accidents, rust and corrosion, etc.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 *irates and &utla-s do not have any intrinsic s!ecial benefits,
although the D) can besto- so,e ca,!aign<based benefits on the, if he chooses. Aor
instance, in ,any *irate settings, there is a !o-erful !irate city -here the *Cs can go to
trade their ill<gotten gains, a !lace -here the la- dares not enterI this ,akes it easier for
the, to dis!ose of their goods and enDoy the benefits of a ho,e city -hen other-ise they
-ouldn@t have one. As another e5a,!le, in a L)erry )enL ty!e outla- ca,!aign, the
heroes have the dubious benefit of kno-ing that they@re on the right side and if they can
Dust oust the current rulers M!robably restoring the !ro!er rulers in the !rocessN, they@ll
have their fortunes restored or enhanced, the land -ill once again be bright and shiny, and
everyone -ill live ha!!ily ever after.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he ,aDor !roble, -ith being an outla- or !irate is that the la-
is al-ays after the characters. hough the authorities do not have to !ut in an a!!earance
in every single !lay<session, they@re al-ays out there, !lotting against the heroes. )any of
the, are Euite clever, they !robably have ,ore ,oney, shi!s and ,en than the heroes, and
they@ll continue to !lague the heroes until the ca,!aign is done.
*ealt$ O!tions4 *irate and &utla- characters get the standard :d3507 g! for
starting gold.
Ra(es4 &utla-s and *irates, unless your ca,!aign is very hu,an<oriented, -ill take
Dust about anyone they can get, so it@s !erfectly a!!ro!riate for there to be &utla-s and
*irates of the de,ihu,an races.
Note4 +n a *irate ca,!aign, it could be that the !layer<characters -ill eventually co,e
to ter,s -ith the authorities and Lgo straight.L his doesn@t ,ean they have to abandon the
*irate Warrior 4it, ho-ever. hey could instead beco,e *rivateersF-ho are basically
!irates sailing under the !a!ers of M!er,ission ofN their ruler, and !reying on the nation@s
ene,ies. At that !oint, they can still behave Dust as they did !reviously, and the other
nation@s authorities beco,e their s!ecific ene,y.
Sa"rai
Des(ri!tion4 he sa,urai is a -arrior fro, cultures based on the ,edieval Ja!anese
civili"ation. 8e lives by a very strict code of honor and behavior, a code de,andingH
absolute obedience to his lordI readiness to die for honor or for his lord at any ti,eI
eagerness to avenge any dishonor to his lord, his fa,ily, or hi,selfI -illingness to re!ay all
debts honorablyI and un-illingness to de,onstrate the ,ost dishonorable trait of
co-ardice.
Sa,urai ,ust have ,ini,u, scores of 09 in Strength, Wisdo,, and Constitution, and
of 03 in +ntelligence. hey ,ay be of la-ful align,ent only Mbut still ,ay be good, evil, or
neutralN.
Role4 +n a ca,!aign, unless the ca,!aign itself is set in an eastern culture, the Sa,urai
is !resent to !rovide a touch of the e5otic Mculture clashes are al-ays very interesting in a
ca,!aignNI it also allo-s for a variety of -arrior -ho can be tre,endously deadly.
A sa,urai can fall fro, his noble !osition -ithin a greater lord@s household. +t ,ay be
that the house has !erished in a -ar or other cala,ity, or that the sa,urai@s lord has
reDected hi,, or ordered hi, to co,,it suicide and the sa,urai has refused, or that the
sa,urai has left his lord for so,e other !oint of honor. (egardless, the sa,urai is no-
,asterlessI he is called ronin. he ronin has all of the abilities of the sa,urai, but o!erates
under slightly different rules, as you -ill see belo-. With your D)@s !er,ission, you can
create your character as a ronin instead of a sa,urai. A sa,urai can beco,e a ronin at any
ti,e in a ca,!aignI like-ise, by s-earing allegiance to a lord -ho -ill have hi,, a ronin
can beco,e a sa,urai again.
Before you create a sa,urai or ronin character, ask your D) if such things e5ist on his
-orld and if you ,ay !lay one. +t could be that the D) does not -ish to allo- sa,urai
and ronin in his ca,!aign Mbecause the ca,!aign -orld has no oriental setting to act as
their origin, for instanceN.
Se(ondary Skills4 A sa,urai or ronin ,ust have the Scribe secondary skill.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 he sa,urai and ronin start !lay -ith t-o free e5tra -ea!on
!roficiency slotsFthat@s the good ne-s. he bad ne-s is that, of his si' initial -ea!on
!roficiencies, )i*e are chosen for hi,. he sa,urai and ronin ,ust s!eciali"e in katanaG
Msa,urai s-ord, t-o !roficiency slotsN and daikyuG Msa,urai great bo-, three !roficiency
slotsN. he sa,urai or ronin ,ay s!end his last !roficiency slot as he choosesFbut only
fro, a,ong the sa,urai -ea!ons listed in the !<uipment cha!ter of this book. Mhe LGL
sy,bol indicates a ne- -ea!on to be found in the !<uipment cha!ter.N After the character
is in !lay in another culture, he ,ay beco,e !roficient in -ea!ons of that other culture.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH EtiEuette, (iding MLand<BasedN.
(eEuired Msa,uraiJronin ,ust !urchase these, but gets no e5tra slots to !ay for the,NH
M*riest and Wi"ard, costs double slots unless *aladin or (angerN (eadingJWriting.
(eco,,endedH %eneralFArtistic AbilityJCalligra!hy, Artistic AbilityJ*ainting, MWarriorN
Blind<Aighting, (unning.
E-i!"ent4 he sa,urai and ronin ,ust buy all their starting eEui!,ent fro, the
sa,urai -ea!ons, ar,or and eEui!,ent listed in the !<uipment cha!ter. hey ,ay have
no ,ore than 07 g! left -hen they have !urchased their eEui!,ent. Sa,urai and ronin do
not have to buy their katanaI that is free to the character.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he sa,urai and ronin are able to focus their vital energies to
increase their Strength scoreFte,!orarily. &nce !er day !er e5!erience level, the sa,urai
or ronin can increase his Strength to 02J77. his lasts for one full round, and ,ust be
!receded by a loud kiai shout M,aking it i,!ossible for hi, to su,,on this strength
silently or stealthilyN. Aor that one round, all his hit !robability, da,age adDust,ent, -eight
allo-ance, ,a5i,u, !ress, o!en doors, and bend barsJlift gates rolls and functions are
calculated as if his Strength -ere 02J77.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he sa,urai and ronin have different s!ecial hindrances. he
samurai is Msu!!osed to beN absolutely devoted to his lord. 8e is e5!ected instantly to
obey every one of his lord@s orders, u! to and including killing hi,self or those he loves. +f
he refuses to obey an order, he is dishonored and is e5!ected to kill hi,self. M+f he does
not, he beco,es ronin.N he D) should ,ake sure that the sa,urai is acutely a-are of
this by having his lord occasionally issue orders -hich are difficult for hi, to kee!. his
doesn@t al-ays have to be L4ill all of your allies,L but the lord can issue orders -hich
interfere -ith the sa,urai@s !ersonal goals and re,ind hi, that he is subservient to his
lord. he ronin has his o-n great difficultyH 8e earns e5!erience !oints at half the nor,al
rate. When the D) a-ards the characters their e5!erience, the ronin receives only half
-hat he -ould if he -ere still a sa,urai. his !articular hindrance goes a-ay -hen the
character once again s-ears allegiance to a lord and beco,es a sa,urai. M&f course, once
he@s a sa,urai again, he is subDect to the hindrances of the sa,urai.N
*ealt$ O!tions4 he sa,urai and ronin start -ith the nor,al :d3507 g! beginning
,oney.
Ra(es4 he historical !recedent for the sa,urai is strictly hu,an, so it@s u! to the
individual D) if he -ants to have an oriental<based de,ihu,an culture -ith a sa,urai
-arrior class. Such a thing is !erha!s ,ost visually a!!ro!riate to elves and half<elves, but
a D) could allo- it to any de,ihu,an race in his ca,!aign.
#oteH *layers and D,s -ishing to have ,ore ga,e<oriented infor,ation on the sa,urai
should read ?riental Ad*entures, an AD&D ga,e su!!le,ent dealing e5clusively -ith
the to!ic of eastern ca,!aigns. Cour D) ,ay ada!t anything he chooses to use fro, that
su!!le,ent to AD&D nd !dition ga,e rules and statistics. he sa,urai !resented here
is a si,!lified version of the ?A sa,urai.
Sa.a&e
Des(ri!tion4 he Savage is a tribes,an, technologically and culturally far ,ore
!ri,itive than even the Barbarian and Berserker, -ho is very ,uch in tune -ith the natural
-orld.
A Savage can be an honorable Dungle vine<s-inger raised by ani,als, a very dirty and
!ri,itive -arrior -ho lives in ,ud<-attle huts and fights -ith bone -ea!ons, a
breathtakingly beautiful native !rincess fro, a culture -hich the characters consider
i,!ossibly !ri,itive and yet uncorru!ted and very noble . . . and so on. +n short, the tribal
culture fro, -hich the Savage character co,es can be as crude or civil, coarse or noble,
nasty or ad,irable as the !layers and D) -ant it to be.
o be a Savage, a character ,ust have a ,ini,u, Strength score of 00 and a
,ini,u, Constitution score of 0:.
Role4 +n a ca,!aign, the savage character has a cou!le of roles. 8is !articular skills
and benefits are of use to the average adventuring !arty. +f he co,es fro, a !articularly
noble tribe, he ,ay choose to act as the Lvoice of conscienceL for the adventuring !arty,
asking -hy, if the other characters are su!!osed to be so ,uch ,ore civili"ed than his o-n
!eo!le, their honor and ethics see, to drag so far behindB But for the ,ost !art, he@s a
role<!laying challenge, and should be chosen only by !layers -illing to devote the e5tra
effort to !ortraying so,eone fro, such a different culture . . . and ho- that character
reacts -ith the other *Cs@ culture. his is an o!!ortunity for a lot of hu,or and not a little
tragedy in a ca,!aign . . . but only if the !layer is -illing to go to that effort.
Se(ondary Skills4 he Savage character should have Aisher, Aorester, 8unter, or
ra!!erJAurrier as his Secondary Skill M!layer choiceN.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 he D) should define a set of -ea!ons -hich the *C can
choose his beginning -ea!on !roficiencies fro,. A ty!ical set, for classic Lnoble savagesLH
blo-gun, long bo-, short bo-, club, dagger, Davelin, knife, sling, s!ear. he character ,ust
,ake his first<level -ea!on !roficiencies selections fro, these choices. &nce he begins
!lay and begins adventuring in the outer -orld, he ,ay learn any other -ea!on, of
course . . . but it@s better role<!laying if he !refers to stick to the -ea!ons of his tribe.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH M%eneralN Direction Sense, Weather
Sense, MWarriorN Endurance, Survival. (eco,,endedH M%eneralN Ani,al 8andling, Ani,al
raining, Aire<Building, Aishing, (iding MLand<basedN, (o!e $se, S-i,,ing, MWarriorN
Ani,al Lore, Bo-yerJAletcher, 8unting, )ountaineering, (unning, Set Snares, racking,
M*riest, double slots unless *aladinN 8ealing, 8erbalis,, Local 8istory, (eligion, M(ogue,
double slotsN Ju,!ing, ightro!e Walking, u,bling, MWi"ard, double slots unless (angerN
8erbalis,, (eligion.
E-i!"ent4 he Savage gets no gold M7 g!N -ith -hich to !urchase his -ea!ons and
eEui!,ent. +nstead, he ,ay take u! to four of the -ea!ons listed under L#e- Savage
Wea!onsL in the !<uipment cha!ter. 8e ,ay asse,ble an eEui!,ent list of u! to ten
additional ite,s, subDect to the D)@s a!!roval, -hich he -ill have accu,ulated during his
years -ith the tribeI they ,ust be ite,s -hich ,e,bers of a savage tribe could have ,ade
Mthings such as !ouches, clothing, food, ro!e, fishing gear, sheathes for -ea!ons, and so
forthFno ,irrors, lanterns, iron cooking !ots, and the like.N With the D)@s !er,ission, if
the tribe is a river<tribe or a riding tribe, he ,ay have either a riding horse M-ith saddle<
blanket, halter, bit and bridleN or a s,all canoe.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 &ne of the Savage@s s!ecial benefits is that he receives ,ore bonus
non-ea!on !roficiencies than any other ty!e of -arriorFtesti,ony to the fact that the
Savage ,ust kno- ,ore skills Dust to stay alive than other characters. Another, substantial,
benefit the Savage receives is thisH 8e has a s!ecial ability, rese,bling a s!ell, -hich he
,ay use once !er day !er e5!erience level he has Mi.e., a :th<level savage could use his
ability five ti,es !er dayN.
he s!ecial ability ,ust be chosen fro, the list belo-, ,ust be chosen -hen the
character is first created, and ,ay never be changed. he s!ecial ability is not truly ,agic,
and Detect ,agic -ill not detect itI it is an ability natural to the Savage. +t does not
reEuire verbal, so,atic, or ,aterial co,!onents, even if such are reEuired fro, the nor,al
s!ell.
he listH
M0N Alarm 3%iHard 6st ,e*el5/ S!ecial effectsH his is only usable by the Savage -hen
he is resting or slee!ing in a Euiet !lace. he ability does not sound an alar, like the s!ellI
it ,erely alerts the Savage to intrusion Mif he is already a-akeN or a-akens hi, Mif he is
aslee!N. +t is not cast u!on a !articular !laceI it alerts hi, to activity -ithin 07 feet of the
!lace -here he lies Mas if he -ere at the center of the 67<foot cube of effect of the actual
s!ellN.
M6N Dete"t Magi" 3%iHard 6st ,e*el5/ S!ecial effectsH his reflects the fact that the
Savage is in tune -ith nature and can feel -hen there is so,ething unnatural Mi.e., ,agicalN
in the air. $nless the Savage is also a (anger, he cannot deter,ine the ty!e of ,agic
!resent Mi.e., alteration, conDuration, etc.N.
M9N Animal Friendship 3Priest 6st ,e*el5/ S!ecial effectsH his ability can only ,ake
friends of an ani,al -hich is not angry or threatened. +t can be used to ,ake an angry or
threatened ani,al cal,. o ,ake friends -ith an angry or threatened ani,al, therefore, the
Savage ,ust be able to use the ability t-ice that day Mi.e., he ,ust be of 6nd level or
higherN and ,ust have t-o uses left. o use the ability, the Savage ,ust confront the
ani,al, face to face, at no further a-ay than the li,its of the ani,al@s attack range. As -ith
the s!ell, the Savage ,ust actually have no ulterior ,otives, for such -ill be detected by
the ani,al, and the ability -ill fail.
M3N Dete"t !*il 3Priest 6st ,e*el5/ S!ecial effectsH this is like the Dete"t Magi" ability,
above. Like the *riest s!ell, this Detect Evil cannot detect evil in a *CFonly in a ,onster,
!lace, or ,agical ite,.
he D) can disallo- any of the four abilities given above, or introduce ne- onesF
though he can@t add anything that rese,bles a ,agical s!ell above 0st level.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he Savage has so,e dra-backs, too. 8e is unco,fortable in
civili"ed clothes and ar,orFWhen -earing any sort of clothing ,ore cu,berso,e and
concealing than his nor,al tribal dress, he suffers a =0 to all attack, da,age and
non-ea!on !roficiency rollsI he@s unco,fortable, and it@s affecting his actions and
reactions.
Like-ise, he can -ear any ty!e of ar,or, but is so unco,fortable in it that he -ill suffer
a =9 to all attack, da,age, and non-ea!on !roficiency rolls -hile -earing any sort of
ar,or at all. +f a !layer blatantly decides not to role<!lay his character@s dislike of ar,or
and si,!ly -ears ar,or continually, acce!ting that negative ,odifier, the D) should
gradually increase the ,odifierH =9 in one !lay=session, =3 in the ne5t, =: in the ne5t, and
so on . . . -ith no li,it. +f the !layer asks -hy this is ha!!ening, the D) need ,erely re!ly
that the character is gro-ing ,ore and ,ore unco,fortable in his unnatural tra!!ings and
finding it harder and harder to concentrate on the Dob at hand.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he Savage starts out -ith no gold. 8e gets his starting -ea!ons as
described above, under !<uipment. After the ca,!aign starts, the character -ill inevitably
co,e across the conce!ts of ,oneyI it@s u! to the !layer ho- he reacts to the, Mhe could
either like the idea and try to accu,ulate the stuff as his allies do, or !ut it do-n to
civili"ed corru!tion and stay a-ay fro, itN.
Ra(es4 )ost role<!laying ca,!aigns tend to think of the de,ihu,ans as being ,ore
civili"ed and cultured than hu,ans, but it@s !erfectly all right to have Savage d-arves,
elves, gno,es, half<elves, and even halflings in your ca,!aign if the D) -ishes the, to
be there.
Note4 LBut,L you say, L-hat if ,y character gre- u! in a Savage tribe and -as later
enslaved and trained as a %ladiator and then esca!edB What is he, a Savage or a
%ladiatorBL
hat@s u! to you to ans-er. +f he still considers hi,self a ,e,ber of his tribe and has
not been distanced fro, it by his ca!ture and training, take the Savage Warrior 4itI
!erha!s your D) -ill allo- you to use so,e of your !roficiencies to learn -ea!ons and
skills a!!ro!riate to %ladiators. Like-ise, if the character is no- ,ore urban than savage,
build hi, -ith the %ladiator Warrior 4it . . . but have hi, use so,e of his !roficiencies on
Savage skills and -ea!ons.
he sa,e sort of theory a!!lies if you@re creating any character -ith a co,!licated
backgroundH A Barbarian youth brought u! in the traditions of a Sa,urai, an A,a"on lass
-ho has gro-n u! to be a 4night M#oble WarriorN, a *irate boy -ho gave u! the seas and
took to being a big<city S-ashbuckler. Decide -hich Warrior 4it the character considers
hi,self to belong to, create hi, -ith that 4it, and use so,e of your !roficiencies to buy
-ea!ons<kno-ledge and skills !ertaining to the other 4it.
S5as$b(kler
Des(ri!tion4 he S-ashbuckler is the so!histicated, -itty, lightly ar,ed and ar,ored
hero in a so!histicated city<based ca,!aignFa la The Three Musketeers. 8e@s fully
ca!able of !utting on heavy ar,or, !icking u! a bastard s-ord, and soldiering alongside
other tank -arriorsFbut he shines in co,!arison -hen the heroes are adventuring in the
city, in light ar,or and -ith light -ea!ons.
o be a S-ashbuckler, a character ,ust have an +ntelligence and De5terity of 09 or
better.
Role4 +n a ca,!aign, the S-ashbuckler is the ha!!y<go<lucky hero -ith the ready -it
and the flashing ra!ier. 8e@s ha!!iest -hen he@s in the big city, but can be an i,!osing
-arrior any-hereFene,ies often underesti,ate hi, because of his char,ing ,anners and
don@t reali"e that he can !late on ar,or and -ield heavy -ea!ons as -ell as anyone else.
he S-ashbuckler, because he@s bright and -ell<s!oken, often beco,es !arty leader . . . or
at least the leader@s s!okes,an.
Se(ondary Skills4 he S-ashbuckler can choose his o-n Secondary Skill. %ood
choices includeH #avigator Mif he@s in -ith a band of !irates, es!eciallyN, %a,bler, Je-eler,
Scribe, and Wea!ons,ith.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 he S-ashbuckler receives t-o e5tra -ea!on !roficiency
slots -hich ,ust be devoted to -ea!on !roficiency -ith one of the follo-ing -ea!onsH
stilettoG, ,ain<gaucheG, ra!ierG, and sabreG. Mhe LGL sy,bol denotes ne- -ea!ons to be
found in the !<uipment cha!ter.N hroughout his career, he ,ust devote half of his
-ea!on !roficiency slots to those four -ea!ons. &nce he has achieved !roficiency in all
four of those -ea!ons, he ,ay freely choose -here the rest of his -ea!on !roficiency
slots go.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH M%eneralN EtiEuette, M(ogueN
u,bling. (eco,,endedH M%eneralN Artistic Ability, Dancing, 8eraldry, Languages
M)odernN, (iding MLand<BasedN, Sea,anshi!, MWarriorN Blind<Aighting, %a,ing, M*riest,
double slots unless *aladinN )usical +nstru,ent, (eadingJWriting, M(ogueN A!!raising,
Disguise, Aorgery, Juggling, )usical +nstru,ent, ightro!e Walking, MWi"ard, double slots
unless (angerN (eadingJWriting.
E-i!"ent4 he S-ashbuckler ,ust buy the -ea!on in -hich he has s!eciali"ed, but
e5ce!t for that li,itation ,ay s!end his gold !recisely as he !leases.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he S-ashbuckler has three s!ecial benefits. Airst, -hen using u!
his #on-ea!on *roficiency slots, he doesn@t have to devote double the nor,al nu,ber of
slots -hen choosing (ogue !roficiencies. Second, -hen he@s -earing light or no ar,or
Mi.e., no ar,or, leather ar,or, or !added ar,orN, he receives a =6 bonus to his AC Mthat is,
an AC of ; -ould beco,e a :NI he@s so ni,ble that he@s very hard to hit. hird, the
S-ashbuckler is such a ro,antic figure that he al-ays receives a P6 adDust,ent on his
reaction roll fro, #*C ,e,bers of the o!!osite se5.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 rouble seeks out the S-ashbuckler. his is so,ething that the
D) -ill have to !lay very carefully if the S-ashbuckler is to be as hindered as all the
other Warrior 4its. When there@s another S-ashbuckler around, intent on !roving that he@s
the best s-ords,an in the -orld, it@s the *C S-ashbuckler he settles u!on and challenges.
When a certain young lady is being !ursued by the king@s guards, -ho are intent on
sto!!ing her fro, revealing secrets in her !ossession, it is the S-ashbuckler she stu,bles
across -hen fleeing. When a !rince is too drunk to attend his o-n coronation,
,iraculously he looks Dust like the S-ashbuckler. Life cons!ires to ,ake things difficult
for the S-ashbuckler, and the D) should al-ays thro- Dust a little ,ore good<natured
bad luck at that Warrior 4it than at any other.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he S-ashbuckler receives the standard :d3507 g! starting ,oney
allot,ent.
Ra(es4 Any de,ihu,an -ho@d look elegant in fo!!ish dress, -ielding a narro- blade,
-ill -ork fine as a S-ashbuckler, es!ecially elves, half<elves and halflings. D-arves and
gno,es are not entirely ina!!ro!riate, but are likely to have to defend the,selves fro,
!lenty of Dokes at the e5!ense of their curious looks.
*ilderness *arrior
Des(ri!tion4 his hero re!resents so,e tribe Meither civili"ed or barbarianN living in a
dangerous, threatening, or unusual -ilderness environ,entFsuch as the desert, dee! in
s-a,! territory, in the fro"en #orth, tucked a-ay in the Dungle or tro!ical rain forest, or
in distant ,ountains.
he Wilderness Warrior is different fro, the Barbarian. 8e@s not auto,atically a
,enacing figure -hen travelling around in the ca,!aign@s nor,al societyI he@s Dust e5otic
and unusual. 8e can be very cultured and civili"ed, but, co,ing as he does fro, a different
culture, -ill have different attitudes fro, the other !layer<characters on ,any subDects.
Aor e5a,!le, a desert no,ad character ,ay be ,erely offended at the theft of his
!ro!erty but be outraged by Mand de,and the death !enalty forN theft of his -aterI he ,ay
believe that -o,en should stay in ca,! and leave fighting to the ,en Man o!inion he -ill
find hi,self Euickly disabused fro, -hen in the outer -orldNI he ,ay feel the need to
!rostrate hi,self -henever he !asses the church or te,!le of the deity he -orshi!sI and so
on.
he !layer decides M-ith D)@s !er,issionN -hat sort of tribe and environ,ent the
Wilderness Warrior co,es fro,. hen, -orking -ith the D), he ,ust deter,ine -hat sort
of unusual beliefs and custo,s the character and his tribe !ossess. 8e ,ay later abandon a
fe- of these beliefs in the outer -orld, but should not abandon ,ost of the,I they are !art
of -hat ,akes hi, uniEue in the ca,!aign.
o be a Wilderness Warrior, the character ,ust have a Constitution score of at least
09.
Role4 +n a ca,!aign, like the Barbarian and Savage, the Wilderness Warrior is the
Loutsider@s voiceL -ho Euestions all the strange Euirks and discre!ancies in the !layer<
characters@ culture. 8e@s also an o!!ortunity for so,e co,ic<relief adventures, -hen he
,isinter!rets so,e as!ect of the society and it leads hi, into confusion and trouble. )ore
i,!ortantly, the D) should arrange for the occasional adventure to take !lace in lands like
those of his birth, so that he can de,onstrate his skills in that environ,ent.
Se(ondary Skills4 +f you@re using the Secondary Skills rules, the Wilderness Warrior
,ay choose his skill fro, the follo-ing listH Aisher, Aorester, 8unter, Sailor,
ra!!erJAurrier.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 he Wilderness Warrior ,ay s!end his Wea!on *roficiencies
any -ay he !leases. he D) ,ay insist that he s!end one or t-o on -ea!ons a!!ro!riate
to his cultureH A desert no,ad should have Sci,itar and Short Co,!osite Bo-, -hile an
arctic -arrior should have 8ar!oon and S!ear, for instance.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 Bonus *roficienciesH Survival Min his native environ,entN,
Endurance. (eco,,endedH Any relating to the land of his birth, such as Ani,al 8andling,
Ani,al raining, Dancing Mhis cultural dancesN, Aire<building, Aishing, (iding MLand<
basedN, S-i,,ing, MWarriorN )ountaineering, racking.
E-i!"ent4 he Wilderness Warrior ,ay only s!end his starting gold on ite,s
a!!ro!riate to his culture. Aor e5a,!le, the desert no,ad couldn@t buy any ar,or at all
-ith his starting gold, -hile the arctic -arrior could only have leather or hide ar,or. M&f
course, if the D) deter,ines that his is a trading culture, he could have access to goods
fro, all over the -orld.N he Wilderness Warrior doesn't have to s!end all his starting gold
before entering !lay. &nce he begins !lay, there are no restrictions on -hat sorts of
eEui!,ent he ,ay buy.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 he Wilderness Warrior gets a s!ecial bonus of P: to his Survival
!roficiency roll. his only a!!lies to the Survival !roficiency !ertaining to environ,ents
like that of his originI if he later takes a second Survival !roficiency for another ty!e of
territory, the bonus doesn@t count to-ard it.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 he Wilderness Warrior, in his early years, is occasionally
hindered by his unfa,iliarity -ith the !layer<characters@ society, but this is a role<!laying
considerationI the D) ,ust occasionally enforce it until he believes the character is
sufficiently fa,iliar -ith the usual culture.
*ealt$ O!tions4 he Wilderness Warrior gets the usual :d3 5 07 g! in starting gold.
Ra(es4 his is a very a!!ro!riate Warrior 4it for de,ihu,an -arriors, and the D)
,ay -ish to create so,e unusual de,ihu,an tribes to sho-case it. Aor e5a,!le, everyone
-ould e5!ect D-arven Wilderness Warriors fro, the ,ountains, Elf and %no,e
Wilderness Warriors fro, the tro!ical rain forest, etc. But -hat about Desert D-arvesB
Arctic ElvesB S-a,! %no,esB )ountain 8alflingsB Such unusual choices can add so,e
color to a ca,!aign.
Re(ordin& +its on t$e C$ara(ter S$eet
he character record sheet !resented in the Chara"ter Creation cha!ter has blanks for
all of the benefits, hindrances, and other notes generated -hen a character takes a Warrior
kit.
*arrior +its and /lti,Class C$ara(ters
hese Warrior 4its are designed to add de!th to a -arrior<class character. But if the
character is already ,ulti<class Mfor e5a,!le, an elf fighter<,ageN, he doesn@t need any
,ore de!th. herefore, only single<class -arriors can take one of the Warrior 4its
described above.
8o-ever, -ith your D)@s !er,ission, there@s no reason -hy a ,ulti<class -arrior can@t
use his -ea!on and non-ea!on !roficiency choices to si,ulate one of the 4its . . . and,
again -ith D) !er,ission, the characters !ossessing that Warrior 4it can consider hi,
Lone of their o-nL -ithin the conte5t of the ca,!aign.
Aor e5a,!le, let us say that your ca,!aign features an elvish A,a"on tribe and you
-ant to !lay an elf fighterJthief -ho belongs to that A,a"on tribe.
Build her this -ayH 8ave her take S!ear and Long Bo- Wea!on *roficiencies. Aor her
#on-ea!on *roficiencies, have her take (iding MLand<BasedN and Ani,al raining Mshe
doesn't get either of these for free, like the LrealL A,a"on, but she can still choose the,N.
Aor her EEui!,ent, li,it her to the eEui!,ent choices of the A,a"on.
+f you do all this, and have your D)@s !er,ission, -ithin the conte5t of the ca,!aign,
your character -ill be considered an A,a"on. hat is, she co,es fro, the A,a"on tribe
and the other A,a"ons consider her to be a shield<sister and one of their o-n. Iou kno-,
and the D) kno-s, that she doesn@t have all the s!ecial benefits of the A,a"on Warrior
4it. And the D) is -ithin his rights to assign the character the s!ecial hindrances of the
A,a"onFafter all, you@ve chosen for her to be identified -ith a race of !eo!le -ith those
hindrances. But to all out-ard eyes, she is indistinguishable fro, any other elvish A,a"on.
*arrior +its and Dal,Class C$ara(ters
he sa,e is not true of dual<class characters.
+f a character starts off as a -arrior, he ,ay take any of the Warrior 4its above. +f,
later, he decides to change classes according to the nor,al Dual<Class Benefits and
(estrictions rules, he doesn@t lose any of the benefits or hindrances of the 4it he choseI he
is still that sort of fighter. +f that second character class also has a range of 4its available
to it, he may not "hoose a ne(. additional &it/
+f a character starts off as so,e other character class, does not take on a 4it
a!!ro!riate to that class, and then later s-itches to one of the -arrior classes, he can
choose a Warrior 4it at that ti,e . . . though the D) ,ay insist that certain ca,!aign
events be acco,!lished in order to allo- hi, to do this.
Aor instance, let@s say that a hu,an ,age decides, later in life, to beco,e a Aighter, and
he -ants to be a %ladiator. Well, there@s nothing -rong -ith that. But the D) should
insist that the ne5t several adventures deal -ith that transfor,ation. he character ,ust be
hired by Mor, alternatively, ca!tured and enslaved byN an arena or fighting<stable o-ner,
trained, and !itted against other %ladiators. he other characters in the ca,!aign could
also be entering the gladiatorial arena, or the D) could contrive things so that the current
adventure involves gladiatorial ele,ents and still get all the *Cs involved.
o better si,ulate the -ait involved for the character to learn his ne- trade, the D) is
-ithin his rights to insist that the character not receive his Warrior 4it until he@s reached
second e5!erience level in his ne- class.
Abandonin& A +it
So,eti,es it ha!!ens that a character is created -ith a Warrior 4it and circu,stances
later force hi, to reconsider his character@s role. Aor e5a,!le, a #oble Warrior could
beco,e disgusted -ith the corru!tion and e5cesses of his class and decide to renounce his
ties to the nobility. &r, a Savage could beco,e increasingly co,fortable -ith the civili"ed
-orld and increasingly unco,fortable -ith his savage kin. +n such a case, the !layer
should think about abandoning the Warrior 4it.
o abandon the kit, the !layer should !rivately tell the D) his intentions. +f the D)
has no obDections to the abandon,ent, then it -ill take !lace. $nless the choice for
abandon,ent -ere brought on by a sudden, trau,atic event, the D) ,ay have to have
so,e ti,e to -ork the abandon,ent into the storyline. &ften, in the story, the character
doing the abandoning -ill have to role<!lay out the situationH *ublicly renounce his ties
-ith the others of his Warrior 4it, and then suffer any conseEuences that ,ight arise. M+n
%reek ,ythology, for instance, the A,a"on Eueen Antio!e abandoned her for,er life to
stay -ith 4ing heseus of Athens . . . and she later died fighting her for,er country-o,en
-hen they ca,e after her.N
&nce the character abandons his kit, he also abandons all the s!ecial benefits and
hindrances it !rovides. &ften, those benefits included free #on-ea!on *roficiencies or
Wea!on *roficiencies. he character doesn@t lose those, but he must !ay for the, fro, the
ne5t free slots he has available to hi,.
he character ,ay not take another Warrior 4it to re!lace the one he@s abandoned.
&nce he gives u! his Warrior 4it, he@s an ordinary Aighter, *aladin, or (anger for the rest
of his !laying life.
/odi)yin& #$e +its
he D) can, and should, ,odify the 4its !resented above to re!resent his o-n
ca,!aign setting ,ore accurately.
Aor e5a,!le, if there are no A,a"ons in his -orld, he should disallo- the A,a"on 4it.
+f %ladiators are all chosen fro, the ranks of savages des!ised in the civili"ed land, he
should ,odify the %ladiator hindrances to reflect the fact that they have no res!ect in the
ca,!aign setting.
Creatin& Ne5 +its
Si,ilarly, if there@s a s!ecial sort of -arrior that the D) -ould like to have in his
-orld, he can design a ne- Warrior 4it for that -arrior.
o design a Warrior 4it, you ,ust ans-er the follo-ing Euestions about the -arrior
and his role in your ca,!aign.
Des(ri!tion4 What is this -arriorB What literary, ,ythological, or historical source is
he dra-n fro,B What s!ecial reEuire,ents are there if a character -ishes to be oneB
Role4 What is this -arrior to be in the ca,!aignB 8o- does his culture look at hi,B
8o- do other cultures look at hi,B +s there a s!ecial sort of outlook he needs to have to
belong to this Warrior 4itB And -hat does this -arrior tend to do in a ca,!aignFlead
,ighty nationsB brutali"e and betray his alliesB u!set the delicate balance of !olitical
strategiesB have a good ti,e -ithout ,aking -avesB
Se(ondary Skills4 +f you@re using the Secondary Skills rules, you need to deter,ine if
this Warrior 4it reEuires such a skill. +f no one secondary skill should be co,,on to all
-arriors of this ty!e, then don@t reEuire a secondary skill. But, if all ,e,bers of a Warrior
4it see, to have this skill, then you should reEuire it of all -ho take this 4it.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 )any Warrior 4its see, to gravitate to-ard s!ecific -ea!on
ty!es. 4nights lean to s-ords and lancesI )erry )en of the forest !refer the longbo-. +f
the -arrior you@re si,ulating see,s to !refer one or t-o -ea!ons above all others, then,
in this 4it, you reEuire the, to take the !roficiencies for those -ea!ons.
Non5ea!on Pro)i(ien(ies4 )ost Warrior 4its, again, see, to have certain skills in
co,,on. +t -ould be silly to have a #oble Warrior -ithout EtiEuette, for instance. So you
,ay assign u! to t-o !roficiency slots to be given )ree to the character. +f it@s a!!ro!riate,
the !roficiencies ,ay co,e fro, listings not a!!ro!riate to -arriorsFthe *riest, (ogue,
and Wi"ard listings. Mhough nor,ally the cost in slots for such !roficiencies doubles,
since they are here being given free to the character, that doesn@t ,atter.N
E-i!"ent4 +f a Warrior 4it is best<kno-n for having s!ecific ty!es of eEui!,ent,
reEuire that the -arrior have such eEui!,ent -hen the ca,!aign begins. +f ,any
e5a,!les, but not an over-hel,ing ,aDority, of this sort of Warrior see, to !refer a
s!ecific ty!e of eEui!,ent, si,!ly list it a,ong the ty!es of eEui!,ent the Warrior 4it
re"ommends.
S!e(ial 3ene)its4 Every Warrior 4it should have so,e s!ecial benefit. +t@s u! to you
to choose -hat that benefit is, but it should fit in -ith the -ay this -arrior a!!ears to
function in fiction, ,ythlore or -herever he co,es fro,. y!es of benefits includeH
Bonuses to reaction rolls, es!ecially fro, certain categories of !eo!leI
Bonuses to attack rolls andJor da,age, es!ecially against certain categories of
ene,ies, or in s!ecial circu,stancesI
A free -ea!on s!eciali"ationI
(esistance Mi,,unity or a bonus to saving thro-sN against s!ecific ty!es of ,agicI
S!ecial rights in the culture in -hich the characters nor,ally travel Mfor e5a,!le,
i,,unity fro, !rosecution for certain alleged cri,es, or the right to de,and shelterNI and
so on.
S!e(ial Hindran(es4 Cou should also !rovide a s!ecial hindrance Mor hindrancesN
-hich li,it the character as ,uch as his benefits hel! hi,.
Such hindrances can includeH
)inuses to reaction rolls, es!ecially fro, certain ty!es of !eo!leI
)inuses to attack rolls andJor da,age, es!ecially against certain categories of
ene,iesI
+nability to learn s!ecific -ea!on or non-ea!on !roficienciesI
Vulnerability to s!ecific sorts of ,agic Meither a ,inus to saving thro-s, or the ,agic
is auto,atically successfulNI and
S!ecial restrictions in the culture in -hich the characters travel Mfor e5a,!le, not being
able to o-n !ro!erty or get ,arried, or e5cessive !unish,ents for s!ecific cri,esN.
*ealt$ O!tions4 +f the Warrior 4it has any restrictions or benefits in the a-arding of
his starting gold, or in the -ays he can s!end it, note the, here.
Ra(es4 +f there are variations to the 4it based on the character@s race, note the, here.
So,e races can@t take a s!ecific 4itI so,e -ill have different !roficiencies, benefits and
hindrances attached to the,.
Notes4 +f you have any additional notes about the Warrior 4it !ertinent to your
ca,!aign Msuch as -hich !layers you@d !refer for s!ecific 4its, for e5a,!leN, !ut the,
here.
Additionally, you could create 4its for other classes than Warrior, or ada!t the e5isting
4its to the other through tinkering -ith the skills, !roficiencies, benefits, and hindrances.
here could easily be (ouge S-ashbucklers or Barbarian *riests, for e5a,!le.
#$e *arrior +it Creation S$eet
&n !age 063 is the Warrior 4it Design Sheet. +f you -ish to design a ne- Warrior 4it,
Dust !hotoco!y the sheet and design your ne- 4it u!on it. When you@re sho-ing the
Warrior 4its above to your !layers, also include the ne- Warrior 4its you@ve designed.
Role,Playin&
he AD&D ga,e isn@t all co,bat and ,agic, and so a -arrior doesn@t have to be Dust
a collection of nu,bers -hich res!onds to situations by killing everything in sight and
collecting coins. #o, there@s ,uch ,ore to role<!laying than that, and this cha!ter is
devoted to role<!laying the -arrior character.
*arrior Personalities
here@s a ,isconce!tion that -arriors are Dust sEuare, solid guys -ho do the !hysical
-ork in a fightI that rogues are the clever ones -ho do all the conniving and trickingI that
-i"ards are a-eso,e, i,!ersonal intelligence dedicated solely to their ,agical studiesI
that !riests are only interested in the advance,ent of one@s s!iritual learning.
While that@s a si,!lification convenient for first<ti,e !layers of the ga,e, ,ore
e5!erienced !layers ,ay desire to add de!th to their characters by !roviding ,ore detail
to their characters@ !ersonalitiesH Deciding ho- they react in certain situations, ho- they
relate to other characters, and so forth.
E5!erienced role<!layers, those -ho already do this, should ski! do-n to the headline
reading Lhe Warrior Ca,!aign.L Beginning role<!layers should continue fro, here.
+n the first !art of this cha!ter, -e@ll be talking about Warrior *ersonalities, describing
a fe- ty!es of heroes co,,on to fiction and ,ythology. (ead each descri!tion, think
about -hether the descri!tion co,es close to ,atching your conce!tion about your
character@s !ersonality, and if it does, try to utili"e that descri!tion@s advice -hen role<
!laying and ,aking decisions for your character.
Each !ersonality in this cha!ter -ill be described in the follo-ing -ayH
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 hese !aragra!hs talk about the character@s attitudes and
,otivations, and ho- the character tends to act and interact in a nor,al ca,!aign.
3est Sited %or4 hese !aragra!hs talk about the align,ents for -hich this
!ersonality ty!e is best suited, and about the Warrior 4its Mfro, the last cha!terN for -hich
the !ersonality is best suited. +t@s !ossible to co,e u! -ith a good rationale for -hy a
character of a s!ecific !ersonality ty!e should have an align,ent that doesn@t Mat first
glanceN see, a!!ro!riate for that !ersonality ty!e, so there is absolutely no )irm
alignment restri"tion (hen you're "hoosing personalities/ 8o-ever, the reco,,endations
,ade for a!!ro!riate choices are good enough for ,ost characters, so kee! the, in ,ind.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 hese !aragra!hs talk about ho- the character reacts in
co,bat situations. #ot all -arriors unstra! their s-ords and -ade in s-ingingI so,e
a!!roach battle situations ,ore slo-ly, ,ore cleverly, or ,ore aggressively.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 hese !aragra!hs talk about the character@s general
reactions to #*Cs in role<!laying situationsI you can use the, as general guidelines for
your character@s role<!laying conversations and other such encounters.
#$e 3ras$ :ot$
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his character has Dust recently beco,e an adventurer, and he
doesn@t have ,uch e5!erience or co,,on sense . . . ,eaning that he gets in trouble, and
leads his co,!anions into trouble, Euite often. herefore, you should only "hoose a 1rash
Iouth personality (hen you're (illing to role$play this attitude/ he Brash Couth is easy
!rey for fast<talkers and con ,en, suggests straightfor-ard and foolish !lans sure to get
the !arty ca!tured or killed, ad,ires ,ore e5!erienced -arriors -ithout Euestioning their
,otives, and can be Euite a ,enace to hi,self unless taken in hand by a ,ore e5!erienced
adventurer.
+nevitably, a Brash Couth character has to L-ise u!LFto lose so,e of his
!reconce!tions and naivete. +f this doesn@t ha!!en naturally in the course of a ca,!aign,
the D) should design an adventure around the Brash Couth, an adventure -here he@s
confronted -ith the conseEuences of his brashness. Aor instance, a confidence ,an could
trick the Couth into accidentally betraying his alliesI or, a Couth@s !lan could go horribly
a-ry and seriously or critically endanger his friendsI or, a hero !articularly ad,ired by the
Couth could turn out to be far less ad,irable than the Couth has al-ays thought.
When this ha!!ens, the character ,ust sto! being a Brash Couth and choose so,e
other !ersonality ty!e. By no-, he should have been !laying long enough that the !layer
-ill kno- -hat sort of !ersonality that isI alternatively, the events that shock hi, out of
being a Brash Couth could affect hi, seriously enough that this event chooses his ne-
!ersonality for hi, Mthis results in such !ersonalities as a disillusioned Crude Crusher or a
hostile Dangerous AntagonistN.
3est Sited %or4 +n ter,s of align,ent, the Brash Couth is best suited to the full
range of %ood and #eutral align,ents MLJ%, LJ#, #J%, #, CJ% CJ#N. Evil characters
aren@t suited to being naive and trusting. +n ter,s of Warrior 4its, the Brash Couth is
ad,irably suited to all of the,T he only kit that ,ight give you a !roble, is that of the
Sa,urai, but it@s !ossible to !lay an ine5!erienced and eager Sa,urai struggling to kee!
his enthusias, fro, sho-ing beneath the veneer of eastern detach,entI this is an
es!ecially good choice in an all<sa,urai ca,!aign, -here one character is the brash young
-arrior interacting -ith ,ore e5!erienced and settled sa,urai.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he Brash Couth is likely Dust to charge u! to a foe and begin
!ounding a-ay, unless that foe is so big and scary that even the ,ost foolish youth -ill be
afraid of it. 8e@s very likely to take co,bat orders fro, his friends, ho-ever, so it@s easy
for one -iser -arrior to kee! hi, fro, killing hi,self through bad tactics. +t@s often a
good idea for the !arty to ,ake the Brash Couth one of their designated archers, because
it usually kee!s hi, out of direct hand<to<hand co,bat until he has -ised u!.
he Brash Couth "an learn fro, his e5!eriences, on a case<by<case basis. After he@s
been ha,,ered by a troll, he can be ,ore cautious -ith the ne5t troll or troll<like ,onster
he encounters. But he@ll be Dust as brash -ith a ,onster unlike the others he@s
encountered . . .
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 he Brash Couth gets along -ith everybody until such
ti,e as the other !erson insults one of his friends, challenges one of his !reconce!tions, or
betrays hi,. Even then, he@ll si,!ly be furious and -illing to fight or o!!ose the other
fello-I to be truly *enge)ul reEuires that the Couth go through his !ersonality change and
take on a ne- !ersonality.
he Brash Couth should be !layed as either hesitant and nervous in ne- situations, or
eager to thro- hi,self into such situationsFhe@s never bored or indifferent. &ther
characters find his youthfulness char,ing, but ,ay also find hi, e5as!erating because he@s
al-ays getting into trouble.
#$e Crde Crs$er
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 he Crude Crusher is a rude, boisterous, belching, !hysical
sort of character. 8e ,ay be very clever, but he !refers force to trickery or !ersuasionFit
feels good to !ound !eo!le. 8e doesn@t like !ro!er ,anners, court etiEuette, literature and
!oetry, or haughtiness. 8e has very coarse and co,,on custo,s . . . although he could be
of high birth Mnothing says a high<born -arrior must be clean, virtuous, and !olite, after
allN. *ut hi, in a tavern -ith a cro-d of noisy table<banging drinkers, -here the drinks
!our freely and the occasional bra-l grinds furniture into sa-dust, and he@s ha!!y.
3est Sited %or4 +n ter,s of align,ent, the Crude Crusher can belong to any of the,.
+f he@s La-ful, he@s still o!erates by a code of behavior that others can observe and count
u!on Meven if he is a social ,isfitNI and if he@s %ood, he@s not going to take the things he
-ants Mby forceN fro, those -ho o-n the,. Aor these reasons, a La-fulJ%ood Crude
Crusher isn@t likely to have a lot of fun. +n ter,s of Warrior 4its, the Crude Crusher is
-ell<suited to the Barbarian, Beast<(ider, Berserker, %ladiator, *easant 8ero,
*irateJ&utla-, Savage, and Wilderness Warrior. A Crude Crusher #oble Warrior -ill
al-ays suffer the reaction !enalties given to #oble Warriors -ho don@t live according to
their social stations Msee the descri!tion of the #oble Warrior fro, the last cha!ter for
,ore on thisN. A,a"ons are usually too u!tight in ,ale societies to be as co,fortably
coarse as the Crude Crusher is. he Sa,urai and S-ashbuckler tend to be too cultured for
this !ersonality ty!e. he Cavalier "an't take the Crude Crusher !ersonality.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he Crude Crusher is a bra-ler. 8e !refers one<on<one
co,bats and fights dirty, doing -hatever it takes to -in a fight. 8e fights e5actly as he
chooses, and ,ay or ,ay not follo- the tea, !lan. +n co,bat, he@s single<,inded and
effective.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 he Crude Crusher can be a lot of fun to !lay, because
he says -hatever he -ants -henever he -ants. 8is crude re,arks scandali"e ,ore refined
characters. 8e@s likely to antagoni"e his UUbetters@@ in conversation, either accidentally or
M,ore !robablyN deliberately, and this can s!oil !arty negotiations and ,uck u! the !arty@s
!lans. 8o-ever, none of this ,eans that the Crude Crusher can@t be loyal, courageous,
co,!etent and !o-erful, so adventuring !arties aren@t likely to kick hi, out because of his
,outhI but they@re usually e5as!erated by his attitudes.
#$e Dan&eros Anta&onist
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his character is a hero -ith an attitude !roble,. 8e@s gri,
and hu,orless, and never fights Dust to give so,eone a drubbingFhe fights to kill. 8e@s
driven by so,e !o-erful, unsy,!athetic ,otivationH A desire for revenge, over-hel,ing
desire for a !ossession, or even a near<!sychotic desire Dust to be left alone. 8e ,ust be
carefully !layed so that there actually is a reason for hi, to acco,!any the other !layer<
characters, and the D) ,ay need to re,ind his !layer occasionally that he "an have
friends and loyalties, even if he !refers to conceal that fact behind hard<bitten ,anneris,s
and an evil te,!er. #aturally, this !ersonality ty!e has fe- or no ro,antic inclinations or
relationshi!s.
3est Sited %or4 +n ter,s of align,ent, the Dangerous Antagonist is a!!ro!riate for
all of the,. Different align,ents result in different ,otivationsH A La-fulJ%ood Dangerous
Antagonist has been e,bittered by events in his life, -hile a ChaoticJEvil character is a
socio!ath. +n ter,s of Warrior 4its, ,ost are a!!ro!riateI the usual e5ce!tions are the
Cavalier and S-ashbuckler, -ho tend to be better<te,!ered characters.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he Dangerous Antagonist fights in a s,art and deadly
fashion Munless he@s a BerserkerN. 8e !refers a Lake no !risonersTL attitude, but can allo-
hi,self to be overruled by his friends, es!ecially if they can !ersuade hi, that there@s a
!ractical reason for it MDust being ,erciful and hu,ane isn@t good enoughN. 8e can be a
good co,bat tactician for the tea,, directing his allies to fight in the ,ost deadly and
efficient ,anner !ossibleI or, he could be a -ade<right<in fighter -ho vents his hatred on
his ene,ies.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 his character generally doesn@t do role<!laying
negotiations -ith #*Cs, unless the *Cs are atte,!ting to inti,idate or frighten the #*Cs.
he Dangerous Antagonist ,ust be !layed carefullyI ,any Dangerous Antagonist
characters are ,erely kill<cra"y fighters -ith overinflated o!inions of the,selves, and so
it@s very easy -hen !laying such a character to aggravate the other !layers -ith his
!retentiousness. +n other -ordsH Be ,enacing, but concentrate that ,enace ,ore on
#*Cs than your *C allies.
#$e Doo"ed C$a"!ion
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his hero has been afflicted -ith a curse or a !ro!hecy that
haunts hi, throughout his life. 8e ,ay have lost his &ne rue Love and been fated never
to find her. 8e ,ay be doo,ed to bring ,isfortune on anyone he cares about. 8e ,ight be
!ro!hesied to die -henever certain ca,!aign<related goals are achieved. 8e ,ight be the
last survivor of his race, doo,ed to die -ithout issue, so that the race dies -ith hi,. When
he@s not fighting for his goals, this character is suffering. Aor this reason, you shouldn@t
!lay such a character unless you en2oy !ortraying that suffering. +f you choose such a
character ty!e, you ,ust consult -ith your D) to deter,ine Dust -hat sort of curse
afflicts the characterFit@s absolutely !ointless to !lay a Doo,ed Cha,!ion unless there
actually is a doo, or curse at -ork.
3est Sited %or4 Any align,ent is a!!ro!riate for the Doo,ed Cha,!ion. +n ter,s of
Warrior 4its, ,ost are a!!ro!riate, e5ce!t for the essentially cheery S-ashbuckler.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he Doo,ed Cha,!ion tends to fight in an all<out, des!erate<
strength ,anner. 8e thro-s hi,self fully into a fight and seeks out the ,ost dangerous
o!!onents. Either he@s si,!ly des!erate to achieve his ends and elude his curse, or he@s
unconsciously seeking his o-n death. 8e@s therefore not good as a tea, tactician. &n the
other hand, his bravery is ins!irational to other heroes and follo-ers, so he@s often ,ade
the leader of -ar !arties. 8e can be ,erciful in co,bat, or kill all -ho face hi, Mall the
-hile regretting the gri, necessity of itN.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 he Doo,ed Cha,!ion tends to be sy,!athetic to
others@ needs and !ains . . . but is hi,self very de!ressive, because he kno-s that so,e
gri, fate a-aits hi,. his ,eans he@s often easy to !ersuade to aid in others@ Euests Mnot
Euests for ,oneyH Euests for ,ore !ersonal goalsN.
#$e %ated P$iloso!$er
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his character is both si,ilar to and very different fro, the
Doo,ed Cha,!ion. Like the Cha,!ion, he kno-s that a !articular gri, fate a-aits hi,H
Death. But he@s very !hiloso!hical about it and does not torture hi,self about it. 8e@s
likely to be an old ca,!aigner -ith very fe- illusions left, but -ith a keen a!!reciation of
all life has to offer.
3est Sited %or4 +n ter,s of align,ent, La-ful and #eutral characters are ,ost
suited to be Aated *hiloso!hersI Chaotic characters are seldo, that intros!ective. he
*hiloso!her is eEually suited to %ood, #eutral, and Evil characters. +n ter,s of Warrior
4its, the *hiloso!her is ,ost ad,irably suited to the Sa,urai. 8e@s a!!ro!riate to ,ost of
the other kits as -ell, e5ce!t the Berserker, -hich isn@t a very intros!ective sort of hero.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 Different Aated *hiloso!hers face co,bat in different fashions.
So,e are as thoughtful in co,bat as else-here, and take a very analytical a!!roach to
co,batH Striking -here the need is greatest, evaluating the ene,y@s strategy, and so forth.
&thers, kno-ing that they cannot forestall their fate, Du,! into the thick of things and fight
-ith unrestrained battle<fury Mand, !erha!s, DoyN. he !layer is left to decide ho- his Aated
*hiloso!her character fights. Basically, he should si,!ly choose the ,ethod of co,bat he
!refers for this character, and then rationali"e it according to the character@s !hiloso!hy of
life.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 he Aated *hiloso!her is often a sort of fatherly<advisor
character. 8e thinks about everything, he@s full of sage advice. hough he ,ay be driven
by goals as strong as any other character@s, in !erson he is seldo, very intense.
#$e /erry S$o5o))
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his character lives for style or entertain,ent. 8e ,ay be a
clo-n -ho delights in entertaining !eo!le and shooting barbs into the egos of the self<
i,!ortant. 8e ,ay be an elegant fighter -ho loves to sho- the -orld -hat fighting is like
in the hands of a ,aster. 8e ,ay si,!ly love attracting the eyes of ladies. Whichever, he@s
al-ays in ,otionI he never ,erely gestures -hen he can instead ,ake a flourish, never
-alks -hen he can stride, never talks -hen he can orate.
3est Sited %or4 Chaotic characters are a little better suited to be )erry Sho-offs, as
they@re ,ore s!ontaneous than the reasoned La-ful or cautious #eutral characters.
8o-ever, there@s no restriction on this. %ood, #eutral, and Evil characters can all be
)erry Sho-offsH he elegant, dra,atic, self<centered, villainous lieutenant is a classic
e5a,!le of an Evil )erry Sho-off. +n ter,s of Warrior 4its, the S-ashbuckler, %ladiator,
and *irateJ&utla- are best suited to this !ersonalityI the A,a"on, Barbarian, Berserker,
and Sa,urai are least suitedI the other kits are a!!ro!riate.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he )erry Sho-off ,ust fight in the ,ost dra,atic fashion
!ossible, even -hen it isn@t as efficient or safe as another tactic. 8e lea!s, he bounds, he
shouts, he gestures, he taunts the ene,ies, he ,akes challenges for single co,bat . . . he
"an be a right nuisance, for allies as -ell as ene,ies, and so the !layer should be careful
not to aggravate his friends too ,uch -ith his antics.
'n Role,Playin& SitationsH Like-ise, this character should be as char,ing and
theatrical as !ossible in role<!laying situations. 8e doesn@t necessarily have to be -ittyI
that ,ight !ut too ,uch of a strain on a !layer -ho isn@t able to -isecrack -ith ease. But
he should be debonair and gracious at all ti,es, even -hen talking to the leader of his
ene,ies or the rudest and coarsest boor.
#$e Natral ;eader
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his character is the all<around ,an in charge. 8e@s the
res!onsible hero -ho, even if he isn@t !arty leader, thinks like oneH 8e@s al-ays thinking
about the tea,@s goals and ho- to i,!le,ent the,, the safety of his friends, the strategy
of the bad guys, and so forth. 8e ,ay be ha!!y to be the leader<ty!e, or ,ay be a
reluctant leaderI either -ay, his friends look to hi, for direction. #aturally, you should
only choose this !ersonality ty!e for your character if you@re to ,ake the effort to do all
that thinking and !lanning, and are -illing for your character to be res!onsible for others.
3est Sited %or4 +n ter,s of align,ent, La-ful and #eutral characters are ,ost
a!!ro!riateI Chaotic characters tend to be ,ore s!ontaneous than the #atural Leader.
8o-ever, if you have a good rationale for a Chaotic #atural Leader, your D) ,ay
choose to allo- you to !lay it that -ay. )ost Warrior 4its are a!!ro!riate to this
!ersonality ty!e, es!ecially the Cavalier and #oble Warrior. +n a !arty re!resenting several
different Warrior 4its, though, the Berserker and Savage shouldn@t be #atural LeadersH
&ther character ty!es don@t tend to trust the, as leaders.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he #atural Leader, -hether he -ants to or not, is al-ays
thinking in co,bat and trying to direct his allies@ activities. 8e ,akes sure that there@s a
good ,i5 of ranged to ,elee co,bat, that shield -alls don@t have big holes in the,, that
-hen a friend falls there@s so,eone to drag hi, behind the lines and another to take his
!lace. +f a !layer -ith a #atural Leader character doesn@t do this, and si,!ly Du,!s right
into co,bat -ithout any intent to think about or direct things, the D) should assign hi,
te,!orary ,inuses to attack rolls and da,ageH his reflects the fact that the "hara"ter is
troubled by his failure to lead, even if the player isn@t.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 he #atural Leader is a very res!onsible character, but
beyond that, there is no li,itation on the -ay he should be !layed in role<!laying
situations. 8e ,ay be gri, or hu,orous, straightfor-ard or deceitful, arrogant or ,odest,
as the !layer decides. 8e -ill often be the negotiator for the !arty, but this isn@t reEuired of
hi,.
#$e Sneaky #$inker
C$ara(ter Des(ri!tion4 his character lives and loves to out-it other characters. 8e
loves tricking ,oney out of !eo!le, out-itting o!!onents in co,bat, !ersuading !eo!le to
hel! hi, against their better sensibilities, and so forth. +t@s best for a ca,!aign -hen the
Sneaky hinker is a good friend of the rest of the *Cs and so ,ostly turns his talents on
#*CsI the D) needs to ,ake sure that the ca,!aign doesn@t turn into an endless
succession of incidents of the Sneaky hinker tricking ,e,bers of his o-n !arty.
3est Sited %or4 +n ter,s of align,ent, #eutral and Chaotic characters are best suited
to be Sneaky hinkers, as La-ful characters often have ,ore res!ect for the rights of
othersI but, again, -ith a good enough rationale !rovided, the D) ,ay allo- hi,self to
be convinced that a La-ful character should be a Sneaky hinker. )ost Warrior 4its are
eEually suited to the Sneaky hinker characterI the Berserker, ho-ever, is an ina!!ro!riate
choice and should not be taken.
'n Co"bat Sitations4 he Sneaky hinker hates to engage ene,ies in ,elee. 8e
doesn@t ,ind being a ranged fighter, but he@d really !refer to be doing so,ething clever or
s!ectacularH Sneaking around the fight to co,e u! on the ene,y@s unguarded rear,
loosening rocks on the hillside above to dro! do-n on the ene,y, !ersuading one of the
ene,y@s allies to turn on the ene,y, anything that -ill de,onstrate his ,ental su!eriority
over the ene,y Mand ,aybe over his allies as -ellN. +t@s u! to the !layer -hether the
character is actually co-ardly or notH Sneaky hinkers can be as brave as the bravest
-arrior in a !inch, if that@s the !layer@s conce!tion of the character.
'n Role,Playin& Sitations4 he Sneaky hinker is often the !arty@s negotiator, as he
loves talking -ith other characters and getting the best !ossible deal for hi,self and his
friends. +n ,ost role<!laying situations, the Sneaky hinker -ill, cha,eleon<like, ada!t
hi,self to the !ersonality of the !erson he@s talking to, concealing his true thoughts and
e,otions behind the ,ask he thinks is ,ost a!!ealing to the other character. +t@s very hard
to find out -hat the Sneaky hinker is actually thinking or feeling. #ote that it@s a
dangerous te,!tation to trick your friends and alliesI in a ca,!aign -here the *Cs@ !arty
is founded on trust and allegiance, such a Sneaky hinker -ill !robably find hi,self cast
out or killed for betraying his erst-hile friends.
C$an&in& Personality #y!es
he above advice is for !layers -ho don@t yet have a fir, handle on role<!laying
different !ersonalities fro, their o-n. And the !ersonalities !resented here aren@t fir,,
for,al rules -hich any character has to follo-I they@re guidelines -ith no real restrictions
!laced u!on the,.
#aturally, then, it@s very a!!ro!riate for you to -rite u! ,ore *ersonality y!es
a!!ro!riate to your ca,!aign . . . if, indeed, you need to for,ali"e the, to that e5tent.
+t@s also very a!!ro!riate for a character to change his *ersonality y!e in the course
of a ca,!aign. 8ere are so,e -ays it can ha!!enH
he 3ras$ :ot$ -ises u! and loses his naivete and ine5!erience. his has to ha!!en
eventually Munless he gets killed before he ever gets -iseN. 8is e5!eriences in the ca,!aign
so far -ill !robably have a strong influence on the ne5t ty!e of !ersonality he chooses.
8ere@s a note for the other !ersonalitiesH #othing short of a,nesia ever changes a
character to the Brash Couth !ersonality.
he Crde Crs$er isn@t likely to change, but a cou!le of things could bring about
such a change. 8e could fall in love -ith a ,ore refined !artner, and, feeling gross and
coarse in co,!arison, train hi,self to beco,e ,ore so!histicated. Mhe )erry Sho-off
and Aated *hiloso!her beco,e good o!tions at this !oint.N 8e could have heavy
res!onsibility laid u!on hi, Msuch as a ,ilitary officer@s co,,issionN and be changed by it
Mat -hich !oint the #atural Leader is a good choiceN.
he Dan&eros Anta&onist is only likely to change -hen -hatever ,ade hi, a
Dangerous Antagonist originally is resolved. Aor instance, if he ever avenges hi,self on
-ho,ever hurt hi, in the first !lace, he could change to a Aated *hiloso!her or #atural
Leader.
he Doo"ed C$a"!ion isn@t likely ever to change. 8e@s doo,ed, after all. But if, in
the course of the ca,!aign, the D) allo-s hi, to un<doo, or un<curse hi,self, he could
suffer a change of !ersonality. 8e could beco,e a Aated *hiloso!her or #atural Leader.
8e ,ight enDoy life so ,uch that he beco,es a )erry Sho-off or Sneaky hinker. 8e@s
not likely to beco,e a Dangerous Antagonist unless the events -hich freed hi, fro, his
curse -ere so nasty that they still scarred his !ersonality forever.
he %ated P$iloso!$er isn@t likely to change. his !ersonality ty!e co,es at the end
of a !rocess of !ersonality develo!,ent, not in the ,iddle.
he /erry S$o5o)) could sober u! under the -eight of res!onsibility, like the Crude
Crusher, and beco,e a #atural Leader. &r he could naturally evolve into a Sneaky hinker
-hen it beca,e less and less fulfilling ,erely to entertain !eo!le and ,ore fun to
,ani!ulate the,.
he Natral ;eader could easily change if dra,atic events ,ade hi, sick and
disgusted -ith al-ays being so res!onsible and de!endable. At that !oint, any !ersonality
e5ce!t Doo,ed Cha,!ion is a!!ro!riate. 8o-ever, unless he@s beco,e totally a,oral,
even in his ne- !ersonality he@ll !robably still have leadershi! i,!ulses and do a lot of
tactical thinking.
he Sneaky #$inker isn@t ever likely to changeH 8is -ay of life is too ,uch fun to
hi,. +f he -ere to change, to beco,e a little less secretive, he@d !robably beco,e a )erry
Sho-off.
Aor any character, so,e horrible event Msuch as the brutal ,urder of a loved oneN
could change the character, at least te,!orarily, to a Dangerous Antagonist or Crude
Crusher.
#$e *arrior Ca"!ai&n
So far, -e@ve ,ostly talked about the -arrior character and his role in nor,al
AD&D ga,e ca,!aigns.
8o-ever, it@s !ossible to run a good ca,!aign -hose characters are mostly
(arriors / / / or all (arriors/
here are a cou!le of reasons to think about having an all<-arrior ca,!aign. Airst, in
,any ca,!aigns, after the first fe- e5!erience levels, the fighters increasingly take a back
seat to the ,agic<using classes, -hose !o-er increases faster than the fighters@. Second,
,any ,ovies, novels, ,yths and legends Dust feature fighter characters, and if one of those
settings !articularly a!!eals to you, and you -ant to si,ulate it in your ca,!aign, you@ll
-ant to li,it your ca,!aign to fighters.
here are several -ays to run such a ca,!aign. So,e sa,!le arrange,ents includeH
)i5ed Warrior<y!es in a )agical World
)i5ed Warrior<y!es in a )ostly #on<)agical World
)i5ed Warrior<y!es in a Strictly #on<)agical World
&ne Warrior<y!e in a )agical World
&ne Warrior<y!e in a )ostly #on<)agical World
&ne Warrior<y!e in a Strictly #on<)agical World
+n the second !art of this cha!ter, -e@ll be talking about all those arrange,ents, ho-
they can be set u! and -hat they ,ean to a ca,!aign.
/a&i(al *orld .s8 Non,/a&i(al *orld
he D), -hen setting u! his ca,!aign, ,ust decide ho- ,uch ,agic there is in the
-orldFnot Dust ,agical ite,s, but ,agical ,onsters, s!ells, and effects of any sort.
/a&i(al *orld
+n a -arrior<oriented ca,!aign -here ,agic e5ists at the nor,al AD&D ga,e li,its,
,agic is considered a scary thing -hich nor,al !eo!le don@t a!!reciate at all. )ost
-i"ards encountered in the ca,!aign -ill be villains. he ones -ho are friends of the *Cs
are ,ostly lo-<!o-ered Mlo-<levelN.
his follo-s the !attern of ,any s-ord<and<sorcery fiction series, -here each story@s
resolution co,es do-n to a contest bet-een the hero and his fighting !ro-ess vs. a
dastardly -i"ard or ,agical creature and his s!ells.
+n such a ca,!aign, the D) -ill have to decide -hether any !layer<character can be a
,ulti<class or dual<class hero -ith Wi"ard or *riest s!ells. +t@s all right to have (anger and
*aladin characters, as they only acEuire their s!ells slo-ly, and after ,any e5!erience
levels . . . but the ,ore ,agically !otent -i"ards and !riests !ose a bigger !roble,. heir
,agic is too handy and too de!endableI the D) has to ,ake his ,agical villains even
,ore !o-erful in order to co!e. +n a ca,!aign -here *Cs can@t be !riests or -i"ards, a
,uch lo-er<level ,agical villain -ill be ,uch ,ore effective against the,.
Aor these reasons, if you@re going to try running a -arrior<oriented ca,!aign for the
first ti,e, -e reco,,end that you not allo- *Cs to be !riests or -i"ards. Cou can al-ays
choose to add the o!tion later on . . . but if you find that you like the non<,agical -arrior
arrange,ent, it@s not so easy to re,ove the *Cs@ ,agical abilities fro, a ca,!aign -here
you@ve already allo-ed the,.
/ostly Non,/a&i(al *orld
+n a -orld -here there@s very little ,agic, no PC "an learn spells. his ,eans that no
!layer<character can take a *riest or Wi"ard class as his character !rofession, or even as
one of a dual<class or ,ulti<class character@s !rofessions.
+n such a ca,!aign, characters can still be (angers and *aladins. Even they can@t learn
s!ells . . . but they still get their other s!ecial abilities.
*aladins still have the abilities of detecting evil, P6 to saving thro-s, i,,unity to
disease, healing by laying on hands, aura of !rotection, turn undead, devils, and de,ons,
and calling of -ar horseI he can use the s!ecial abilities of a holy s(ord in the unlikely
event he can find one. All the *aladin li,itations still a!!ly.
(angers still have their abilities of bonuses vs. a chosen ene,y, dealing -ith creatures,
building castles, forts, and strongholds, and attracting follo-ers. All the (anger li,itations
still a!!ly.
+n this ty!e of ca,!aign, ,agical ite,s and treasure of any sort are very, very rare.
hey ,ay even be none5istent, as the D) decides.
)agical ,onsters, eEually rare, are es!ecially nasty and fearso,e. Aor e5a,!le, a
dragon encountered in a -arriors<only ca,!aign is ,ore like the ferocious, unsto!!able
engine of death it a!!ears in the ,yths, and it takes an es!ecially brave St. %eorge to
confront one.
And -i"ardsFif -i"ards are found, they are evil beings -ho have ,ade !acts and
allegiances -ith nether !o-ers and received their s!ells fro, those !o-ers. hey@re
!articularly nasty, !o-erful, and frightening because they have access to !o-ers -hich
the heroes can@t even a!!ro5i,ate. he heroes ,ust use all their brains and bra-n to
confront such !o-erful beings, and -ill often have to !re!are for such a confrontation by
finding artifacts, researching the history of the -i"ard to discover his ,otives and
-eaknesses, and so forth.
Stri(tly Non,/a&i(al *orld
+n -orlds -here there is no ,agic at all, there can be no genuine )age characters. M&f
course, there can be characters !retending to have ,agical !o-ers, but they@re !robably
(ogues running so,e sort of sca, o!eration.N *riests, (angers, *aladins and Bards e5ist
but have no s!ells or ,agical abilities -hatsoeverI they have only -hatever s!ecial status
their society !laces on their !rofessions.
Warrior<oriented ca,!aigns set on strictly non<,agical -orlds are good for a lot of
things. By taking the e,!hasis off ,agic, you !ut it on such things as co,bat, battling the
ele,ents, and !ure adventure. +n such a ca,!aign, only one@s -its, !hysical abilities and
skills ,ake the difference bet-een success and failure, life and death. )agic, -ith all its
,ystery and all its co,!lications, doesn@t ever enter the !icture.
his also ,eans that things -hich -ould be uni,!ressive in a ,agical -orld can be
a-eso,e and ,ysterious in a non<,agical one. A LdragonL ,ay Dust be a giant dinosaurian
beast -ith no intelligence, no ,agic s!ells, and no breath -ea!on, but it -ill be terrifying
any-ay, as the characters have no ,agic -ith -hich to hel! destroy or defeat it.
Without ,agic !resent, characters are never raised fro, the dead. hey ,ust be
!layed ,ore carefully than in ga,es -here resurrection is a co,,on!lace event. +t ,ight
be advisable to start characters out at 9rd level, as described in the Chara"ter Creation
cha!ter, so that they@ll be a little tougher to co,!ensate for this situation.
Such a ca,!aign is ideal for settings based on historical !eriods. Cou could base your
AD&D ga,e ca,!aign on the Crusades, on the era of !iracy, on the -ars of i,!erial
(o,e or ancient %reece, on the conEuest of the #e- World. hese are all settings rich in
action and ,ystery, but for -hich there@s little evidence of ,onsters or ,agic.
#$e /i2ed,*arrior,#y!e Ca"!ai&n
+n this ty!e of ca,!aign, the characters are ,ostly single<class -arriors, and each ,ay
have a different Warrior 4it. With the D)@s !er,ission, ,ulti<class and dual<class
characters Mso long as one of the class choices is AighterN, !riests and rogues ,ay also be
!layed, but the ,aDority of !layer<characters Mover halfN must be single<class -arriors. And
the D), if he -ants a fighters<only ca,!aign, never has to give !er,ission for those other
character classes to be !layed.
+n a ca,!aign devoted to Warriors, the D) should foster an attitude that it@s ,ore
desirable to be a fighter than another class of character. &ther classes ,ay be allo-ed, but
are usually re!resented by only one character each.
&ne -ay to foster this attitude is for the -arrior<characters to get the lion@s share of
ad,iration fro, the !eo!le. Characters belonging to other classes -ill get fro, the !ublic
the ,ini,u, a,ount of ad,iration they deserve for their deeds, but such acclai,
shouldn@t be their ,ain ,otivationI these characters ,ust have other goals if they@re to be
satisfied in such a ca,!aign.
#$e One,*arrior,#y!e Ca"!ai&n
+n this ty!e of ca,!aign, ,ost or all of the !layer<characters have the sa,e Warrior
4it. hey don@t all have to be of an identical classH +n a S-ashbucklers ca,!aign, one
character could be a AighterJS-ashbuckler, another a (angerJS-ashbuckler, and another a
*aladinJS-ashbuckler.
he D) ,ay reEuire that all characters in such a ca,!aign be Warriors, or ,ay allo-
a ,i5 of character classes a!!ro!riate to the ca,!aign@s subDect . . . but the ,aDority of
characters ,ust still be Warriors, and other classes can be re!resented only by one !layer<
character. Aor e5a,!le, in a ca,!aign based on the legends of (obin 8ood, ,ost of the
characters -ill be Warriors -ith the *irateJ&utla- kitI the D) could !er,it Dust one or a
fe- to be hievesI there@s only one *riest MAriar uckN and only one Bard MAllen a@DaleN.
he !ur!oses of this ca,!aign Mother than the nor,al 8aving Aun and %oing on
Adventures, of courseN are to sho-case the lives of characters -ith this Warrior 4it, and
to !ursue the goals co,,on to characters -ho share this Warrior 4it. So, belo-, you@ll
find descri!tions of ca,!aigns centered around all the s!ecific Warrior 4its and their
s!ecific goals.
A"a9ons
+n an A,a"ons ca,!aign, obviously, ,ost or all the characters are A,a"onsF
reclusive -o,en -arriors.
he ,ost interesting !ur!ose for such a ca,!aign -ould be to sho-case a clash of
culturesH 8ave a !arty of A,a"on !layer<characters go adventuring in the outside -orld
Mthe ,ysterious, dangerous, treacherous, -oefully ,ale<do,inated outside -orldN. A lot of
the role<!laying o!!ortunity !rovided by such a ca,!aign -ould involve the characters
doing the follo-ingH (unning u! against, and battering do-n, !reDudices against -o,en
-arriorsI and fighting their o-n !reDudices, -hich dictate either that ,en are inferior and
,ust be do-ntrodden, or are all treacherous and ,ust al-ays be vie-ed -ith distrust and
sus!icion. hey can also have encouraging, a,using or even tragic encounters -ith the
-o,en of the outside -orld, -ho, they try to convince that the A,a"on -ay of life is the
&ne rue Way.
8ere@s a sa,!le adventure idea, dra-n fro, ,ythlore about the A,a"onsH
Before the adventure begins, a shi! fro, the -orld of ,en Mor a grou! of horse,en, if
your A,a"ons are landboundN arrives in the A,a"on co,,unity, clai,ing to -ish to
conduct !eaceful trade or negotiations -ith the A,a"on !eo!les. hey are graciously
received by the A,a"on court and negotiations are held.
But so,ething goes -rong. he ne5t ,orning the negotiators are gone, all fledFand
the Kueen is ,issing, too, obviously kidna!!ed by the ,en. he Eueen@s sister asse,bles
and sends forth a tea, of crack -arriors, the !layer<characters, to retrieve the kidna!!ed
Eueen or die trying.
he *Cs ,ust eEui! the,selves, then head into the outer -orld. +n the course of their
!ursuit of the kidna!!ers, they@ll ,eet a lot of #*Cs. So,e -ill be callous and stu!id,
intending only to o!!ress or enslave the *Cs, and ,ust be dealt -ith by cunning or
violence. &thers -ill be ad,iring of the characters@ inde!endence and ability, and -ill
challenge the A,a"on notion that all ,en in the outer -orld are their ene,ies.
Ainally, -hen the *Cs reach the city -here their Eueen is being held, the D) has to
decide -hat her true status is. She ,ight have indeed been kidna!!ed by the negotiators
and needs to be rescuedI the A,a"on *Cs ,ay need to break into her !rison and sneak her
out, or ,ay need to ally the,selves -ith an outer<-orld ar,y and sack the city. &r, she
,ight not have been kidna!!ed at all, but ,ight instead have been struck by a sudden love
for one of the negotiators, and fled -ith hi,Fes!ecially fleeing her res!onsibilities as
Eueen. +f that@s the case, the *Cs ,ight choose to turn around and go ho,e, or ,ight have
to sack the city any-ay, to avenge the affront done the, by their thoughtless e5<Eueen.
Since not ,any !laying grou!s -ill -ant to s-itch over to the eccentric all<A,a"on
for,at, you ought to read the te5t belo- on LCa,!aign vs. )ini<SeriesL for a -ay to !lay
such a thing -ithout disru!ting your usual ca,!aign.
3arbarians and 3erserkers
+n the Barbarians and Berserkers ca,!aign, ,ost or all characters belong to a single
barbarian tribe.
he Barbarians and Berserkers ca,!aign has a cou!le of !ur!oses. Airst, it@s an
o!!ortunity for a ca,!aign -ith a lot of co,bat, es!ecially if the ca,!aign revolves
around clashes bet-een t-o or ,ore co,!eting tribes. Second, it@s an o!!ortunity to
sho-case ho- decadent and corru!t the Lcivili"edL -orld is, contrasted -ith the si,!le
strength and rude honor of the barbarian tribes.
here are several co,,on ty!es of Barbarians and Berserkers ca,!aigns.
&ne ty!e is the Tribal CampaignH he *Cs live -ith their tribe and act as its defenders
and heroes. hey re!el invasions, hunt ,ighty and ,onstrous ani,als for their ,eat,
attack rival tribes, and do -hatever they can to ensure their o-n tribe@s survival. 8ere@s
one sa,!le adventure ideaH +n -astelands distant fro, civili"ation, t-o tribes do battle.
&ne is an #*C tribe, and the other is re!resented by the !layer<characters and so,e
#*Cs. he t-o tribes can be ene,ies because they co,!ete for hunting lands, because of
so,e old grudge, for any reason or none.
Adventures involving battles bet-een the, ,ight be si,!le fights to the death
bet-een s,all sEuads M,ade !articularly interesting by rough terrain and -eatherN, but
you can co,!licate things, too. What if the t-o tribes, in the course of their ,obile
co,bat, stu,ble across so,e silent, ti,e<lost city !o!ulated by ,onstersB he tribes ,ay
continue their running battle through the city, a-akening the ancient, slee!ing ,onsters,
-ho -ill eventually co,e after the barbarians, forcing the, to co,bine their efforts or
die . . .
Another ty!e is the 1arbarians in a Ci*iliHed %orld CampaignH he !layer<character
barbarians and berserkers travel through the so<called civili"ed -orld. hey ,ay be
seeking a ne- !lace to settle their tribe, the old site being untenable for one reason or
anotherI they ,ay be ,ercenaries -ho hire the,selves out to anyone -ith enough goldI
they ,ay be !ursuing so,e villain -ho insulted the,, or -ho sacked their village -hile
the -arriors -ere a-ay adventuring.
he !layer<characters travel through a -orld -here civili"ation eEuals decadence,
-here all ,en are -eaker than our barbarian heroes. hey encounter terrifying black
,agic in Dungle ruins, battle ene,y ar,ies -hich stand in their -ay, stu,ble across hidden
evil -i"ards and the bi"arre ,onsters they create, and so forth.
Cet another ty!e is the 1arbarians )or the Cro(n CampaignH his is ,uch like the
Barbarians in a Civili"ed World ca,!aign, but here the barbarian heroes have a !ur!ose.
&ne or ,ore of the, intends to rule a civili"ed nation. 8e and his friends ,ust gather
enough !o-er to be able to acco,!lish this, usually by Doining the ar,y of so,e great
nation, rising Euickly through its ranks Mall the -hile going on ,any dangerous ar,y<
oriented adventuresN, and -inning enough !o!ular su!!ort in the ar,y and else-here that
they can overthro- the current des!otic royal fa,ily.
A last choice for a ca,!aign co,bines all three of the ca,!aign styles above. +n the
early stages of the ca,!aign, all the characters are great tribal defendersI ,any adventures
can be run -ith this the,e. Later, so,e great cala,ity forces the heroes to leave their
native tribe. As described earlier, this could be a ,ission of vengeance -hich forces the,
to leave for the outer -orldI it could be the destruction of their entire tribe by !o-erful,
evil forcesI it could be a !ro!hecy -hich says that one of the *Cs -ill bring doo, on the
tribe if he stays, but glory to hi,self and his co,!anions if he leaves. So for ,any ga,e<
years the heroes -ill adventure in the outer -orld, until so,ething Manother !ro!hecy,
their o-n desires, the desires or ,ani!ulations of an #*C involved -ith the grou!N !oint
the, at the cru,bling throne of a great nation.
+n the Barbarians and Berserkers ca,!aign, by the -ay, ,agic use is al,ost al-ays
scorned. )agic is considered unclean and al,ost all -i"ards are evil ene,ies of the
heroes. hough it -ould not be ina!!ro!riate for one character to be so,e sort of
sha,anistic hero Mfor e5a,!le, a dual<class AighterJ)ageN, this sort of ca,!aign is best
suited to -orlds -ith little or no ,agic.
3east,Riders
he Beast<(iders ca,!aign is very si,ilar to the Barbarians and Berserkers ca,!aign.
But there are significant differences in the !layer<characters@ goals and ,otivations.
+n the Beast<(iders ca,!aign, it@s the tribe@s association -ith its tote, ani,al that
!rovides ,uch of the flavor of the ca,!aign. he villains and threats of the ca,!aign
don@t Dust ,enace the hu,ansI they also endanger the ani,als on -ho, the tribe is so
de!endent.
Aor e5a,!le, in such a ca,!aign, an evil -i"ard dee!er in the -ilderness has allied
hi,self -ith an ani,al that is a natural Mor unnaturalN ene,y of the tribe@s tote,. #o-, he@s
sending his o-n -arriors after the tribe@s ani,als, trying to destroy the, and conEuer the
tribe. +f the !layer<character tribes,en ride dire -olves, the sorcerer@s ,inions, fe-er in
nu,ber than the tribes,en, -ill be ogres riding s,ilodons Msabre<tooth tigersN. +f the *Cs
ride !egasi, the ,ore<nu,erous ene,ies ,ight be goblins riding giant bats.
*erha!s this evil sorcerer -ants the tribe@s landI !erha!s he -ants the tribe@s !rincessI
!erha!s his god is an ene,y of the god re!resenting the tribe@s ani,al tote,. Whatever the
cause, he@s evil and ,ust be dealt -ith.
+n the early stages of the ca,!aign, the ordinarily<ha!!y tribes,en suddenly begin
suffering attacks at the hands of these ene,ies. hey ,ust defend their village fro, the
first, ,urderous assault, then set u! !atrols and reconnaissance ,issions to !robe into
ene,y territory and find out -hat@s going on. $lti,ately, they -ill have to asse,ble a
crack tea, of tribes,en Mthe !layer<characters and their i,,ediate friendsN to !enetrate
ene,y territory, sneak into the citadel of the ene,y, and destroy hi,.
Additionally, all the ca,!aign ty!es a!!ro!riate for the Barbarians and Berserkers
ca,!aign -ork Dust as -ell -ith the Beast<(iders ca,!aign.
+n this sort of ca,!aign, since everyone has the sa,e Warrior 4it and ,ight see, very
si,ilar, each -arrior should choose a very different *ersonality in order to distinguish
hi,self fro, his fello-s.
his ca,!aign ,ay have no interaction at all -ith the -orld@s civili"ed nationsI or, the
tribe@s ene,y ,ight be a !o-erful lord fro, the civili"ed lands, and the heroes@ ,ission to
destroy hi, -ill be doubly !erilous because they don@t kno- -hat they@ll be facing in those
strange lands.
Ca.aliers
+n the Cavaliers ca,!aign, the !layer<characters are all noble knights Euesting for
goodness and glory.
his can be one of the great -eaknesses of such a ca,!aign. Who -ants to be clean<
scrubbed, dedicated to goodness, and holier than thou all the ti,eB
So -hen running such a ca,!aign, the D) and !layers ,ust be careful to distinguish
the Cavaliers fro, one another in !ersonality, ,otivations, dress and style. Ces, they@ll all
be devoted to goodI but they can have different align,ents, outlooks, and !ersonalities.
&ne Cavalier can be a heavy<hearted Aated *hiloso!herI another, though still devoted to
doing good, ,ay have been sufficiently e,bittered by his !re<ca,!aign e5!eriences to be a
Dangerous AntagonistI still another ,ay have been cursed and is no- a Doo,ed
Cha,!ion.
Cavalier Ca,!aigns are usually run to sho-case e!ic struggles bet-een !ure good
Mthe !layer<charactersN and !ure evil. he fate of the nation or the entire -orld ,ay be at
stake. Aor e5a,!le, at so,e ti,e in the !ast, the -orld@s greatest king has discovered that
a great ,enace threatens to over-hel, all the -orld, so he has asse,bled his bravest ne-
knights to find out -hat it is and deal -ith it. +n their early adventures, these Cavaliers are
gaining e5!erience, rising u! fro, the lo-est levels, and asse,bling clues as to -hat sort
of ,enace the -orld faces. As they learn ,ore, and begin to have ,ore and ,ore direct
confrontations -ith the ,inions of the ,enace, they reali"e that the threat is indeed
real . . . and that they@re not yet adeEuate to save the day. hey ,ust continually Euest to
beco,e better -arriors, to find s!ecific ,agical ite,s -hich are su!!osed to be useful
against the ,enace, and to gather allies and raise ar,ies . . . until the final hour is u!on
the,, and it@s ti,e for these ,uch ,ore e5!erienced heroes to face the battle of their lives.
Since all Cavaliers are good<aligned, the ca,!aign attitude is not going to !ro,ote
rude *C behaviorH heft, robbery, assault, insults, and betrayals are all actions that -ill get
the *Cs in trouble -ith each other Mand -ith the D)N.
Gladiators
here are t-o interesting a!!roaches to having a gladiator<based ca,!aign.
Cou could have a ca,!aign centered around the gladiatorial arena. Each character is a
different ty!e of gladiatorH &ne novice, one sEuare<Da-ed hero ade!t at everything, several
gladiators each s!eciali"ing in one interesting -ea!ons co,bination. he ca,!aign deals
-ith the hero<gladiators in their efforts to survive not only the arena but the !lotting and
trickery of gladiators belonging to a rival !atron.
+n one adventure, the ene,ies ,ight drug our heroes@ food before the heroes are due
to fight so,e !articularly fierce ,onster on the sandsI if the heroes fight, they are in e5tra
danger because of the drug@s effects, and if they do not fight, they lose considerable
audience !o!ularity and !olitical clout.
+n another adventure, a !o!ular slave<gladiator leads a rebellionI do our heroes, if
they@re free gladiators, hel! the rebellion or hel! re!ress itB
+n another adventure, the ene,y !atron ,anages to fra,e one or ,ore of the heroes
for an insult they did not !erfor,, and they are challenged to arena<battle to the death by a
grou! of noble heroes they do not -ish to fight . . . and so on.
8o-ever, though ,any adventures can be generated around the coliseu, life, such a
ca,!aign is inherently li,ited, and -ill either end fairly soon or branch out into other
adventures.
+f you@re fa,iliar -ith +talian s-ord<and<sandal ,ovies, you kno- of one -ay such a
ca,!aign could branch out. +n such fil,s, you often have grou!s of gladiators and e5<
gladiators going out into the -orld and righting -rongs. When a city is being bled dry by a
tyrannical ruler, the gladiators sho- u! and cast hi, do-n. When the E,!eror@s daughter
is kidna!!ed and ranso,ed, the E,!eror doesn@t call on his crack guards,enI he asks the
gladiators to rescue the !rincess.
Such adventures often have a lot of broad co,edy in the,. %ladiators usually have
fierce unar,ed<co,bat abilities so that they don@t have to kill co,,on<grunt guards,en in
every tavern bra-l.
/yr"idons
+n the )yr,idons ca,!aign, the !layer<characters are all heroes -ith the )yr,idon
Warrior 4it. hey@re either !art of an elite unit in a regular ar,y or guard, or they@re a
s,all, efficient ,ercenary tea, -ho@ve -orked together for years Mbefore the ca,!aign
began, that isN.
his ca,!aign is best suited to !roviding the characters -ith interesting ,ilitary and
tactical situations.
Aor e5a,!le, in one adventure, their su!eriorsJe,!loyers instruct the, to rescue a
kidna!!ed a,bassador fro, an old, abandoned fort that is no- occu!ied by
banditJkidna!!ers. he heroes are given a ,a! of the !lace, a certain a,ount of gold for
eEui!,ent, and a deadline Mnever ,ore than a fe- daysN. hey have to -ork out all the
!lans of the assault and rescue, then go in, retrieve the kidna!ee, and esca!e -ith hi,
unhar,ed if they@re to get their ,oney or the co,,endation of their su!eriors.
+n other adventures, the characters@ unit ,ight be !art of a ,uch larger ,ilitary force
fighting a long<standing -arI so,e adventures -ill be stand<u! co,bats -ith ene,y
troo!s, so,e -ill be reconnaissance ,issions behind ene,y lines, so,e -ill be rest and
recreation binges in nearby civilian to-ns.
+n ,ost cases, the !layers should have the o!!ortunity to !lan out their o-n ,ilitary
o!erations. his gives the, a greater sense of satisfaction -hen the !lans succeed . . .and
a better understanding of ho- things -ork in the ga,e<-orld -hen the !lans fail.
&bviously, this is a very !ro<,ilitary ca,!aign setting, and the *Cs and their #*C
friends -on@t tolerate differing outlooks. )inor villains in this ca,!aign include officers
-ho kno- less about ,ilitary o!erations than the *Cs, or officers -ho deliberately
sacrifice subordinates in order to gain success and !ro,otionsI so are civilians -ho rabidly
o!!ose the ongoing conflict, those -ho are disres!ectful of soldiers, etc.
Noble *arriors
his is a ca,!aign of knights and chivalric doings. So,e of the characters are
traditional ,edieval knights, so,e are their sEuiresI others ,ay be -arriors or ,ercenaries
acco,!anying their !arty, or other ty!es of characters being escorted by the, Mnoble,en
and noble-o,en, !riests, etc.N.
his ty!e of ca,!aign differs greatly fro, the Cavaliers ca,!aign in that the #oble
Warriors don@t have to be staunch su!!orters of goodness and light. So,e -ill be true
heroesI so,e -ill be self<centered boors. But they share the co,,on ties of knighthood
and nobility, so they usually get along -ith one another.
Aor an idea of -hat sorts of adventures are a!!ro!riate to a #oble Warriors ca,!aign,
you need only read the books and see the ,ovies, available in the hundreds or thousands,
a!!ro!riate to such characters. +n !articular, the novels of Sir Walter Scott and the
chronicles of the doings of Ca,elot are very a!!ro!riate source ,aterial Mand, no, not all
the knights of Ca,elot -ere CavaliersI so,e -ere brutesN.
+n #oble Warriors ca,!aigns, the heroes -ander the land righting -rongs by s-ord or
lanceI they fight dragons -hich lair in ,enacing caverns in the dee!est -oodsI they defend
the land against infidels and invadersI they co,!ete -ith one another in friendly
tourna,ents and unfriendly clashes bet-een rival kings or baronsI and they raise and lead
great ar,ies on overseas crusades.
hey also defend the !rerogatives of their class. Aor instance, in a Cavaliers ca,!aign,
the *C heroes ,ight Doin a !easant@s rebellion against the land@s rightful Mbut greedy and
abusiveN rulers, and even co,!letely overthro- that land@s syste, of rulershi!. +n a #oble
Warriors ca,!aign, the *Cs -ill instead hel! !ut do-n the rebellion . . . and then the good
ones a,ong the, -ill investigate the cause of the rebellion, and !erha!s de!ose the evil
lords on their o-n. At that !oint, they@d elevate the ne5t !erson in line for the throne or
lordshi!Fas long as he -as a noble enough character.
+n #oble Warrior ca,!aigns, if the *Cs all agree to it, they can all be unchivalric
boors. *erha!s they all !refer to be robber<barons and ill<te,!ered knights. +f that@s the
case, and the D) has no !roble, -ith it, that@s fine.
Peasant Heroes
+n a ca,!aign dedicated to *easant 8eroes, you have ,uch the sa,e situation as -ith
Barbarians and Berserkers. hree good a!!roaches for ca,!aigns are the o-n
Defenders, *easant 8eroes &ut in the World, and *easant 8eroes Ai,ing for the Cro-n,
,uch as the Barbarian ca,!aigns -ere structured.
here are differences bet-een the *easant 8eroes and Barbarians ca,!aigns, though.
+n the Barbarians ca,!aign, the !layer<characters are outsiders in this civili"ation, and
civili"ation itself is badFdecadent, cru,bling, not at all ad,irable. +n a *easant 8eroes
ca,!aign, the !layer<characters belong to this civili"ationI they are, in fact, s,all<to-n
folk -ho are ,uch ad,ired. Civili"ation is not bad or ruinous, though the nation ,ay be
ruled by dissi!ated nobles -ho have to be overthro-n or eli,inated Mleaving the throne
o!en, of course, for one of the *easant 8eroes to takeN.
&ne very a!!ro!riate *easant 8eroes ,ini<series to !lay -ould involve a Aoreign
+nvasion. roo!s fro, the neighboring ene,y nation !our over the border and s-ar,
through the *Cs@ country, slaughtering or enslaving everyone in their !ath. &ne large unit
of ene,y soldiers a!!roaches the *Cs@ village. he *Cs and their allies ,ust fight and kee!
the ene,y at bay to give the villagers ti,e to esca!e. After-ard, ho!efully, the *Cs
the,selves can esca!e into the nearby -ilderness to figure out -hat to do ne5t.
heir nation has been caught by sur!rise and over-hel,ed by this sudden attackI the
ca!ital is taken, the king i,!risoned or e5ecuted. he heroes have the o!tion of fleeing
their land for so,e nation not yet taken by the invaders . . . or arranging a resistance and
revolt ,ove,ent to take the nation back fro, the invaders. Aro, e!isode to e!isode, the
heroes can ,ake and then e5ecute their !lansH 8arrying the ene,y troo!s, building the
resistance ar,y u! to greater strength, going on sabotage ,issions into dangerous
invader<held territory, raiding ar,ories, kidna!!ing i,!ortant invaders, antici!ating and
th-arting invader re!ercussions, and eventually thro-ing off the yoke of the ene,y
altogether.
Such a ca,!aign could go on for years, and -hen it -as done, and the ene,y -as in
retreat, could change into an altogether different sort of ca,!aign. he surviving *C
heroes could be knighted, and co,,ence a #oble Warriors ca,!aignI or, no- that their
-ork is done, they could find the,selves unable to return to their nor,al, -orkaday lives
and decide to beco,e raiders of the high seas Mi.e., !iratesN.
Pirates and Otla5s
+t@s Euite enDoyable to have a -hole ca,!aign -here everyone is a !irate or outla-. +n
!irate ca,!aigns, all the characters are raiders of the seasI in outla- ca,!aigns, everyone
is a la-less -arrior. +n both ca,!aigns, the bands of characters !rey on the -eak Mbut
-ealthyN and ,ay have i,!ortant goals to achieve other than Dust taking ,oney a-ay fro,
!eo!le -ho have too ,uch of it.
he D) should deter,ine and then ,ake it clear fro, the outset -hether this is a Lgood
guyL or Lbad guyL ca,!aign.
Good,Gy Otla5s and Pirates
+f it@s a Lgood guyL ca,!aign, the !layer<characters are heroes . . . but ,isunderstood.
hey ,ay have been fra,ed for cri,es they did not co,,it, and -ere forced to flee
the authorities Mit@s hard to !rove your innocence -hen you@re s-inging fro, a gibbetN.
hey ,ay be ene,ies of the ne- ruling !o-er Mif a -ise old ruler dies and is re!laced by
an o!!ressive and unfair ne- ruler, that@s a,!le Dustification to e,bark on a life of
outla-ry . . . in the ga,e and the ,ovies, any-ayN.
+n such a ca,!aign, the characters are -anted by the la-, but it@s the la- that@s -rong,
and the heroes treat their ca!tives and victi,s -ith golden<rule ethics.
+n other -ords, they@ll ca!ture innocents and take their ,oney and goods . . . but
they@ll offer no insult to victi,s -ho deserve none, -ill tend to release such !risoners
unhar,ed. +nevitably, so,e of these for,er !risoners -ill be re<introduced in the story in
an u!!er<hand !osition, and ,ay be able or -illing to hel! the unla-ful heroes -hen
they@re in a bad !osition.
&n the other hand, victi,s -ho are their true ene,ies M-icked re!resentatives of the
evil rulers, !ersonal ene,ies, ta5 collectors, co,!eting !irates and outla-s -ith no
scru!les, and self<centered ,oney<grubbers of any sortN tend to be hu,iliated and
e,barrassed -hile they are !risoners of the *Cs. $nless they behave very stu!idly and
attack the *Cs, they, too, are likely to be released unhar,edI if they do attack, they tend to
be battled in single co,bat, and usually are killed. Ene,y !risoners, if released, also tend
to rea!!ear in the story do-n the line . . . usually at a ti,e -hen they can do a lot of har,
to the !layer<characters.
he ,ain goal of this sort of ca,!aign is restoring the old status Euo. +f the characters
used to be la-<abiding citi"ens and are no- -anted by the la- for the -rong reasons,
their eventual goal is to !rove their innocence. +f the land used to be ruled by a -ise ruler
-ho is no- i,!risoned or dead, the characters@ goal is to release hi, fro, !rison or find
and cro-n his -ise true heir.
&ften, the heroes@ force of ,en M!irate shi! or outla- bandN -ill !rove useful to
so,eone in a !osition of !o-er Mlike the rescued ruler or another !o-erful nobleN, and
that !ersonage -ill issue the, !ardons and co,,issions into his ar,y or navy Dust before
the sla,<bang cli,a5 of the ca,!aign or ,ini<series.
3ad,Gy Otla5s and Pirates
+f it@s a Lbad guyL ca,!aign, the D) and !layers -ill have to define the ca,!aign
goal. +t ,ay be nothing ,ore than the acEuisition of treasure over years of outla-ry. +t
,ay be considerably ,ore s!ecific, such as the finding of a treasure buried by a fa,ous
long<dead !irate, or the e5ecution of a brilliant robbery !lan.
he bad<guy ca,!aign is ,ostly suitable to characters of neutral or evil orientation,
and to !layers -ho Dust -ant to !lay in a nasty fashion for a -hile. heir characters don@t
have the dainty ethics of the good<guy !irates and outla-s. #o, they rob everyone, fro,
other villains to virtuous ,aidens to !ious clergy,en. *risoners in their hands -on@t kno-
-hat to e5!ectI they ,ay get not<too<unco,fortable i,!rison,ent for ranso,ing
!ur!oses, or brutal ,istreat,ent, or death, or -orse than death, ho-ever the !layer<
characters feel. Aurther, the *Cs@ feelings, and their treat,ent of !risoners, ,ay change
fro, day to day.
his is a dangerous environ,ent and ca,!aign. Since the *Cs are as scu,,y as their
-orst ene,ies, there !robably -on@t be any D) sy,!athy to hel! kee! the, alive in bad
situations. he *Cs -ill be co,!eting on eEual ter,s -ith the nastiest of villains, and you
can e5!ect a high body count a,ong *Cs and #*Cs alike.
&n the other hand, -hen you@re in a destructive ,ood, it can be a lot of fun.
Sa"rai
+n the sa,urai ca,!aign, obviously enough, the characters are sa,urai or ronin, and
here you have the sa,e sort of division as you had in the !iratesJoutla-s ca,!aign.
+f the characters are sa,urai, their usual adventures are likely to be ,issions for their
lord. An ongoing ca,!aign ,ight deal -ith the lord@s ca,!aign to beco,e ruler of all the
land M-hile the *Cs ,aneuver for !o-er beneath hi,, !ossibly -ith the intention of
re,oving and re!lacing hi, later onNI the ca,!aign ,ight instead deal -ith e5!editions
into unkno-n lands Msuch as the usual !layer<character setting, -hich creates, Dust like in
the A,a"ons descri!tion above, the o!!ortunity for a Lclash of culturesL ,ini<seriesN.
+f the characters are ronin, their usual adventures could be ,ercenary actions as they
!lay a !art in -arfare in their landI or the ca,!aign could be an e5ercise in outla-ry, as
-ith the !irates and outla-s descri!tion above. hese ronin character could be noble
sa,urai driven into a la-less and lordless state, or could be honorless bad<guy ronin -ith
no interests beyond survival, -ealth, and killing !eo!le.
Either -ay, if you intend to run a sa,urai ca,!aign, you ought to buy the ?riental
Ad*entures ga,e su!!le,ent, an e5tensive AD&D ga,e treat,ent of the -orld of
oriental role<!laying. Cou -on@t have to ada!t everything in it to your AD&D nd !dition
ca,!aign, but you@ll find useful ,aterial there any-ay.
Sa.a&es
here are a lot of -ays to run a Savages ca,!aign. 8ere are only a fe- of the,H
Just ,ike 1arbarians and 1erserkers- A ca,!aign featuring savages as the !layer<
characters could be run !ractically identically to the ca,!aigns given for the Barbarians
and Berserkers descri!tions above. he ,ain difference is that Savage characters are
considerably ,ore distanced fro, civili"ation than barbarians are. hey don@t understand it
nearly as -ell and are likely to be alar,ed, scared, offended or !ut off by ,any ,ore
features of the civili"ed -orld than the barbarian character. hey@re not as likely to -ant to
beco,e rulers in the outside -orld, because they don@t like it as ,uch.
Jungle &ings- Cou could have the ca,!aign revolve around a Jungle 4ingH A !o-erful
savage -arrior -ho ,ay have been reared by or s!irit<bonded -ith so,e sort of noble
ani,al Ma!es, -olves, lions, etc.N. he Jungle 4ing character is often the friend of one
savage tribe Mincluding the other !layer<charactersN, and can lead the, on all sorts of
fantastic adventures. reasure<hunting tri!s into eerie valleys M!o!ulated by lost tribes,
,onsters out of ancient legend, or dangerous and alien -i"ardsN, and elaborate raiding
,issions against the encroach,ents of civili"ation, are t-o good e5a,!les. Also, the
Jungle 4ing see,s al-ays to fall in love -ith a -o,an fro, the outer<-orld civili"ation,
and she, in turn, has a tendency to be kidna!!ed out of her ne- Dungle havenI other
adventures can involve ,issions to rescue her. M#aturally, a Jungle Kueen character could
find herself a civili"ed ,ate -ith the sa,e inclinations to-ard being kidna!!ed.N
:a*ages +n the 1ig City- +f you@re interested in !laying a co,edy adventure, try
running a scenario -here a grou! of savage !layer<characters ,ust enter a huge civili"ed
city Mfor any of the noble reasons discussed earlier, such as a rescueN, but !lay the
adventure for laughs. he savages -ill !robably be as sneaky and clever as ever at
cree!ing across roofto!s in the ,oonlight, but try confronting the, -ith obDects and
situations ,ore likely to get a laugh than a co,bat res!onse. Savages fro, the uns!oiled
-ilderness -ill not kno- ho- to co!e -ith ele,ental<!o-ered self<driving chariots,
bureaucracy, distilled liEuors, -i"ards, fa,iliars, !arades, ,agically<ani,ated street<
s-ee!er ,achinery, dancing broo,s cleaning out the ,age@s to-er, talking s-ords, dance<
halls for the undead, or any such thing.
S5as$b(klers
he S-ashbucklers ca,!aign is for !layers -ho -ant characters -ith a lot of style
adventuring in a so!histicated setting. he )usketeers novels of Ale5andre Du,as are a
!erfect source for character ty!es, adventure ideas, and settings for such a ca,!aign.
+n the S-ashbucklers ca,!aign, the !layer<characters are elegant heroes, e5!erts -ith
the ra!ier, ,aking their -ay in a huge city. hey tend to live hand<to<,outh, gaining large
treasures one day and s!ending through the, in a very short ti,e, so they ,ay be rich and
generous one day and stealing their food the ne5t. his is not a ca,!aign devoted to
honest and hard<-orking heroes. he *Cs ,ay be as honorable as their !layers -ant, but
they@re still char,ing rakes -ho like to get by on as little effort as necessary.
8o-ever, -hen danger loo,s, they@ll gladly thro- the,selves into an adventure, one
-hich ,ay lead the, on a des!erate horseback race across the land or into the dark
cataco,bs under the city, -here ,onsters d-ell. Adventures ,ay lead the, fro, the court
of their king, to the barracks of the nation@s ar,y Mas they briefly beco,e soldiers or
co,,issioned officersN, to the front lines of the ongoing -ar -ith a neighboring !o-er, to
des!erate ,issions behind ene,y lines, to secret forays into the ca!ital city@s !rison Mso
that they ,ight rescue the king@s secret t-in or their friend -ho@s been i,!risoned for
kno-ing too ,uchN.
he heroes are in a constant co,!etition to out<style the other. +n co,bat, each tries
to be the flashiest. +n ro,ance, each tries to be the ,ost -itty, ,ost courteous, ,ost
gallant. Also, they@re in si,ilar co,!etition -ith rival #*C s-ashbucklers, -ho are often
,e,bers of a co,!eting ,ilitary force or fencing acade,y.
+n all, it@s a ca,!aign of great style and sho-,anshi!.
*ilderness *arriors
+n the Wilderness Warriors ca,!aign, the !layer<characters are ,e,bers of tribes or
clans living in harsh -ilderness environ,ents. Such ca,!aigns are, again, very si,ilar to
the choices for Barbarians and Berserkers ca,!aigns, but one of the differences and
attractions of the Wilderness Warriors ca,!aign is the setting.
+n such a ca,!aign, the D) ,ust go out of his -ay to s!otlight the -onder and
danger of the setting. hese are true -ilderness adventures, -here nature and ,onsters are
the characters@ ene,ies ,uch ,ore freEuently than ene,y ,en or de,ihu,ans.
And because -ildernesses are so big and une5!lored, the characters, in their
-anderings, ,ay encounter ,any unusual cities and societies, ruins and treasures.
Aor e5a,!le, in a Desert #o,ads ca,!aign, the characters ,ight be fighting a rival
no,ad tribe -hen a vast sandstor,, lasting hours or days, forces the, all to seek shelter.
When the stor, blo-s over, it has uncovered a long<buried city. he t-o forces continue
their -ar through the streets, buildings, and cataco,bs of the city . . . -hile the ancient
evil that -as buried -ith the city slo-ly a-akens . . .
+n an Arctic Warriors ca,!aign, the local seal or -hale !o!ulation ,ight have
disa!!earedFbeen hunted to e5tinction, or Dust left for ,ysterious reasons. +n the
ca,!aign, the *C heroes have to -ander over une5!lored regions to find a ne- !lace
ca!able of sustaining the tribeI they@ll encounter yeti, ice gole,s controlled by fro"en
liches, avalanches, frost giants, and other arctic !erils before they find their !ro,ised land.
#$e /ilitary Ca"!ai&n
Ainally, you can run an all<,ilitary ca,!aign -ithout it necessarily being an all<
)yr,idons ca,!aign.
*ossibly the ,ost interesting -ay to do this is to gradually ,ove the ca,!aign setting
to-ard a ,aDor -ar. Early in the regular ca,!aign, establish that the !layer characters@
country often has !roble,s and frictions -ith a neighboring countryI sho-case the
dis!utes bet-een the nations by having #*Cs fro, the other nation be rude or abusive to
the *Cs Mand, to be fair, have #*Cs fro, the !layer<characters@ country be eEually vulgar
to foreign #*Cs -ho don@t deserve such treat,entI the *Cs ,ay find the,selves in the
unco,fortable !osition of being honor<bound to defend the Lene,yL fro, their o-n
dishonorable country,enTN.
As the ca,!aign !rogresses and the !layer<characters gain e5!erience levels, increase
the friction bet-een the nations. &ccasionally, the *Cs -ill run into foreign s!y<nests and
s!y<!lans.
$lti,ately, -hen the *Cs have achieved high e5!erience levels and are i,!ortant
characters in the nation, they should be in on the events that s!ark the eventual -ar. Aor
e5a,!le, their king ,ay ask the, to acco,!any hi, to the !eace conference -here he and
his old ene,y are su!!osed to !atch u! their differences, ,arry their children to one
another, and sign ,utual nonaggression !acts. But -hen they@re there, so,ething goes
drastically -rongH *erha!s do!!legangers !retending to be the *Cs assassinate the foreign
king, -hile do!!legangers !retending to be the greatest heroes of the other nation
assassinate the *Cs@ king. Mhe do!!legangers, of course, are under the control of the evil
king of a third nation, -ho intends to ,ove in, !ick u! the !ieces, and conEuer everyone
-hen these t-o nations have beaten each other to !ieces.N
At this !oint, -ar is inevitable, and the *Cs are !ut in co,,and of an entire ar,y. Aor
the re,ainder of this e5tended storyline, the *Cs have to lead their ,en in co,bat against
ene,y forces, defending their o-n nation or !enetrating into the ene,y territoryI
,ean-hile, they@ll be doing their o-n adventures and investigations, trying to co,e u!
-ith !roof that the t-o rulers -ere assassinated by a third !arty, not by the heroes of the
t-o nations.
&nce the t-o ar,ies are getting seriously tired and hurt, the *Cs should be able to
co,e u! -ith the !roof they need. hey convince the ne- rulers of both nations of the
identity of their true ene,y. At this !oint, it@s ti,e for the t-o ar,ies to Doin forces Mand
s-allo-ing do-n their ,any years of ,utual distrust, es!ecially after the last several
,onths of fighting, -ill be !articularly hard, leading to even ,ore !lot o!!ortunitiesN.
#o-, the t-o battered ar,ies ,arch into the third nation, the *Cs still in charge of their
o-n ar,y Mor !erha!s each *C is no- a general in his o-n rightN, and the final battle -ith
the fresh forces of the evil ene,y ruler is still to co,e...
+n such a -ay, you can sustain an all<,ilitary ca,!aign for ,any ,onths of ga,e<ti,e,
and resolve i,!ortant conflicts and storylines in your ca,!aign -orld.
Ca"!ai&n .s8 /ini,Series
hough you can take any of the above ca,!aign ideas and ,ake it into a for,al
ca,!aign, one -hich is su!!osed to continue e!isode after e!isode until the D) and
!layers gro- tired of it, you can also run any of the, as a mini$series, a ca,!aign -hich
is deliberately run only for enough e!isodes to co,!lete one full<length story. +n a sense,
the regular ca,!aign is like a V series, -hile the ,ini<series is like a novel or ,ovie.
Ca"!ai&ns
he ca,!aign goes on over a long !eriod of ti,e and enco,!asses ,any s,aller
stories and goalsI it so,eti,es goes through cast changes as the !rinci!al heroes die,
leave, or retire.
he bright !ro,ise of the ca,!aign is that, so long as the D) and !layers re,ain
together and interested, it can go on for a long, long ti,eI the characters can !artici!ate in
adventure after adventure, story after story. he ca,!aign can chronicle generations of the
adventurers@ fa,ilies, as the original adventurers sire children -ho the,selves gro- u! to
be the !layer<characters.
+n a ca,!aign, *Cs are designed to be !layed !ractically forever. Cou figure on the
character gro-ing and develo!ing slo-ly, over ti,e, and so *Cs are al,ost al-ays created
at lo- level, usually 0st level.
As the *Cs develo!, their !layers so,eti,es beco,e very attached to the,, so ,uch so
that -hen a character dies Min such a fashion that he cannot be raised, it is very u!setting
to the !layer.
/ini,Series
he ,ini<series, on the other hand, ty!ically covers one e5tended storyFthe
acEuisition of one treasure, the defeat of one s!ecific ,aster villain, the e5!loration of a
ne-ly<discovered island, the resolution of a -ar bet-een nations. +t ,ay be !layed in a
single session or go on for a do"en, but the D) and !layers kno- that it@s su!!osed to be
li,ited in sco!e.
+ts characters are rolled u! and can be !layed Euite differently. Since they are
Lte,!oraryL characters, they can be created at a level best suited to the !lot of the story. +f
the scenario is su!!osed to involve a crack sEuad of cavalry,en on a s!ecial ,ission,
everyone could be created at :th level. +f it@s to be !o-erful, e5!erienced knights on a
Euest, everyone could be created at 1th level. +f it@s to be legendary heroes trans!orted
fro, the !ast at the !eak of their !o-ers, they could be created at 67th level or higher.
+n so,e regular ca,!aigns, *Cs die regularly. +f the D) of such a ca,!aign runs a
,ini<series, the !layers can e5!ect the sa,e, but !robably -on@t ,ind so ,uch because the
characters -ere Lte,!oraryL any-ay.
+n so,e regular ca,!aigns, the D) tends to !rotect the *Cs a little bit, covering over
for little errors -hich could be fatal, es!ecially -hen they take !lace in incidents -hich are
not i,!ortant to the ca,!aign or current storyline. +n a ,ini<series, on the other hand, the
D) is likely to be ,ore deadly Mbecause no one is Euite so involved -ith his characterN,
,eaning that the setting and situation are ,ore dangerousI the !layers -ill have a greater
sense of the danger to their characters in this ty!e of setting.
&ne last o!tion -ith the ,ini<seriesH hough it is a very li,ited ca,!aign, deliberately
created so that it -ill soon end, the D) can al-ays run ,ini<series LseEuels.L +n the
seEuel, the survivors of the original ,ini<series can band together again to ,eet a ne-
challenge, Doined by ne- heroes Mre!lace,ents for those -ho fell in the last storyN. he
D) can fiddle -ith e5!erience levels as he chooses, running one ,ini<series Mfor e5a,!leN
at fifth level, the seEuel at ninth level, the se"ond seEuel at 09th, and so on.
S5it($in& 3et5een #$e"
Because ca,!aigns and ,ini<series are very different but eEually co,!elling, D)s
should think about s-itching bet-een the, fro, ti,e to ti,e.
Aor ,ost !eo!le, the ca,!aign is the ,ost satisfying for,at. But, also for ,ost
!eo!le, the ca,!aign gets a bit tireso,e after a -hile, and the grou! breaks fro, it for a
ti,e. +n that ti,e, it@s very a!!ro!riate to run a short<ter, ,ini<series Mor severalN,
allo-ing the D) and !layers to e5!lore ne- settings and characters until they@re ready to
!ick u! the regular ca,!aign again.
his is the ideal foru, for you to try out so,e of the ,ore unusual or outrageous
ca,!aign ideas described earlier in this cha!ter.
Co"bat Rles
he Warrior is a character -hose !ri,ary function is co,bat, and co,bat is -hat this
cha!ter is all about. hough the AD&D ga,e co,bat syste, is sufficient to ,ost of
your co,bat needs, this cha!ter -ill give you o!tional rules and advice -hich can add
flavor to your ga,e.
+t@s i,!ortant to re,e,ber that everything in this cha!ter is an optional ruleI nothing
reco,,ended here can be i,!le,ented in your ca,!aign -ithout the D)@s !er,ission.
Ne5 Co"bat Rles
8ere are so,e o!tional rules you can add to co,bat in your ca,!aign.
O)),Hand *ea!ons Use
All characters are !resu,ed to be better -ith one hand than the otherFin real life,
,ost !eo!le are right<handed, Euite a fe- are left<handed, and only a very fe- are truly
a,bide5trous.
When a character is first created, the !layer should s!ecify his handedness Mright or
leftN. +f he does not s!ecify one, the D) should assu,e the character is right<handed.
+f a character, for -hatever reason, fights -ith his off<hand instead of his good hand,
he suffers a =6 !enalty to attack rolls -ith all attacks. Aor e5a,!le, should a character find
hi,self -ith his right hand chained to a -all, and yet he needs to dra- and thro- a dagger
and ,ust use his off<hand, he@ll then suffer the =6 !enalty to attack rolls.
+f you -ish a character to be a,bide5trous, consult LA,bide5terity,L belo-, under
LWea!on *roficiency Slots.L
+neelin& and Sittin&
A character -ho is kneeling or sitting Mfor e5a,!le, because he@s been knocked do-n
or inDuredN is at a disadvantage in co,bat. 8e can@t ,ove around as effectively and so
cannot dodge inco,ing attacks. Aor that reason, -henever so,eone attacks a victi, -ho
is kneeling, the attacker gets a P0 to attack rollsI -hen so,eone attacks a victi, -ho is
sitting, the attacker gets a P6 to attack rollsI and -hen so,eone attacks a victi, -ho is
flat on his back Mbut a-are of the attack and trying to avoid itN, the attacker gets a P3 to
attack rolls.
Attacking a character -ho is held Mby ,agicN or aslee! is auto,atically successful,
causing nor,al da,age.
When a character is kneeling, sitting, or on his back, he can get to his feet one of t-o
-ays. +f he still has an attack left to !erfor, this round, he can give it u!, not ,ake an
attack, and stand u! instead. &r, he can -ait until after initiative is rolled for the ne5t
roundH When it co,es ti,e for hi, to describe his action, he can stand u! then, -ithout
losing any of his attacks for that round.
Ran&e and 'nitiati.e
8ere@s a rule to give so,e advantage to those characters and !arties Mand ,onstersN
-hich al-ays have ranged attacks ready.
When t-o grou!s first co,e -ithin sight of one another at distances of 67 feet or less
Mhere a Lgrou!L can consist of only one !erson or creature, or can have ,oreN, and only
one group has missile "apability already in hand, that grou! gets a Lfree shotL -ith its
ranged -ea!ons.
his isn@t a full co,bat round, not a bonus round fro, sur!riseH +t@s a s!lit second of
instinctive reaction on the !art of the ,issile thro-ers in the grou!. While they@re firing,
,ages and !riests can@t cast s!ells, other characters can@t ready -ea!ons. A knife e5!ert
can@t dra- a knife and thro- it in this s!lit secondI he can only thro- it if he already has it
in hand. +n this s!lit<second, characters can take no action other than, !erha!s, to talk or
shout so,ething brief to one another.
&nce that free shot is taken, on the first full co,bat round of the fight, roll initiative
nor,ally. he !arty that -as fired u!on gets a P6 ,odifier for being slightly disadvantaged
by the ene,y@s ,issile su!eriority.
(e,e,ber that this o!tion can only be taken -hen one side, and not the other, has
ready ,issile -ea!ons Mi.e., bo-s or crossbo-s in hand -ith arro-s and Euarrels already
nocked, or thro-ing -ea!ons such as s!ears, Davelins, a5es and knives already in handN.
Also, the !arty -hich "an take this o!tion doesn@t have toI the grou! does not have to fire
u!on another !erson, grou! or ,onster the instant it sees its target. +f the grou! chooses
not to, the o!!ortunity is lost and the characters have the usual o!tions to talk to the other
grou!I if they choose to fight, initiative is rolled nor,ally. he side -ithout the ,issile
-ea!ons doesn@t get the P6 ,odifier this ti,e.
+f the !arty is -andering around in conditions of !oor visibility Msuch as a dungeonN,
the D) can rule that the target is barely visible and that the !arty cannot recogni"e ,any
details about the targetH LAhead of you in the corridor, about O7 feet u!, you see a grou!
of hu,an si"e silhouettes ,oving your -ay. As you s!ot the,, they s!ot you, too, and
slo- do-n. Cou can@t tell -hat they are . . .L At this !oint, if the *Cs have ,issile
-ea!ons and the #*Cs don@t, the *Cs can take this free shot, but are faced -ith the
!ros!ect of attacking an unkno-n Euantity. hey "ould be firing u!on the 8igh 4ing and
his adventuring retinue, for all they kno-.
When t-o grou!s both have ready ,issile -ea!ons, neither gets this o!tion. (oll
initiative nor,ally. M+f t-o grou!s both have ready ,issile -ea!ons, and one grou! s!ots
the other -ithout the other grou! reali"ing it, that grou! -ins initiative, but doesn@t get the
Lfree shot.L *icture it this -ayH When the first grou! looses its volley, the ,issilers of the
second grou! i,,ediately turn around and loose theirs. So -e@re !ut in a !osition of
nor,al co,bat.N
Ainally, for this o!tion, re,e,ber that s!ell<ty!e ,issile abilities don@t count, but
LnaturalL ones do. A dragon@s breath acts as a ready ,issile -ea!on, as do a ,anticore@s
tail<s!ikes. 8o-ever, a gold dragon@s s!ells don@t count, nor does a va,!ire@s "harming,
for e5a,!le.
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(y Slots
Cou kno- about Wea!on *roficiencies fro, !ages :0<:6 of the Player's Handbook.
8ere, -e@ll talk about so,e additional, s!ecial things you can do in a ca,!aign -ith
Wea!on *roficiencies.
'ntelli&en(e and Pro)i(ien(ies
We@re going to be sho-ing you a lot of interesting things you can do -ith the Wea!on
*roficiencies rules. herefore, you need to use the rule for e5tra *roficiencies given on
!age :0 of the Player's Handbook. here, it says that you ,ay, -ith the D)@s !er,ission,
take e5tra !roficiencies -hen first created eEual to the nu,ber of e5tra languages the
character gets fro, high +ntelligence Msee able 3, !age 01, Player's HandbookN. hese
e5tra !roficiencies ,ay be divided as the !layer chooses bet-een Wea!on *roficiencies
and #on-ea!on *roficiencies.
Sin&le,*ea!on Pro)i(ien(y< *ea!on S!e(iali9ation
+n the Player's Handbook, the only things you can do -ith Wea!on *roficiencies are
take single<-ea!on !roficiencies and s!eciali"e in !articular -ea!ons.
o briefly revie- the infor,ation fro, that sectionH
A character ,ust have a *roficiency -ith a -ea!on to use it nor,ally. o beco,e
!roficient, the character Ls!endsL one of the Wea!on *roficiency Slots he has on that
-ea!on. Each slot can buy !roficiency -ith one -ea!on. +f he uses a -ea!on he@s not
!roficient in, he suffers an attack !enaltyH =6 for -ea!ons -hich are co,!letely unfa,iliar,
or =0 for -ea!ons si,ilar to those -ith -hich he already has !roficiency. Mhat !enalty is
-orse for non<Warriors.N
o s!eciali"e in a !articular -ea!on, the character ,ust devote an e5tra -ea!on
!roficiency slot to it. M+n the case of bo-s or crossbo-s, it takes t-o e5tra slots.N When
using his s!ecial -ea!on, the character gets a P0 to attack rolls and P6 to da,age. MWith
bo-s and crossbo-s, he instead gets a ne- range category, point$blankH O=97 feet for
crossbo-s, O=O7 feet for bo-s. Within that range, he gains a P6 to attack rolls. Also, if his
-ea!on is ready and there@s a target in sight, he can fire in the co,bat round before
initiative is rolled.N
&nly Aighters Mbut not !aladins or rangersN can take -ea!on s!ecialties. Such a
character can only take one -hen he is first created, but ,ay s!eciali"e in ,ore -ea!ons
as he gains ne- slots.
With that in ,ind, let@s elaborate on the use of -ea!on !roficiencies . . .
*ea!on,Gro! Pro)i(ien(y
)oreover, let@s look realistically at -ea!on !roficiency. Currently, if a character has
Wea!on *roficiency -ith DaggerJDirk, he doesn@t have it -ith 4nife. 8e certainly doesn@t
have it -ith Short S-ord. &f course, the D) can al-ays decide that such -ea!ons are
related to one another. +f he does, then the -arrior -ould suffer a =0 to attack rolls -ith
the unkno-n -ea!on instead of the =6. MSee !age :6 of the Players Handbook.N
Still, to be !roficient in all sorts of blades, fro, the Player's Handbook and additional
blades fro, this rulebook, you@d have to s!end around 03 -ea!on !roficiency slots, and
that@s too ,any.
So, -e@re ,aking it !ossible to take -ea!on !roficiencies -ith -hole -ea!on groups.
Aor our !ur!oses, there are t-o ty!es of grou!sH ight %rou!s and Broad %rou!s.
#i&$t Gro!s
A ight Wea!ons %rou! consists of a set of -ea!ons that are very si,ilar in the -ay
they are -ielded.
+t costs t-o Wea!on *roficiency Slots to beco,e !roficient in an entire tight grou!.
After !aying those t-o slots, the character -ill kno- ho- to use every -ea!on in that
grou! -ithout the usual =6 !enalty for unfa,iliarity Mthat =6 is for WarriorsI -ith other
classes, the !enalty is ,ore severe, as described on !age :6 in the Player's HandbookN.
Aollo-ing are several e5a,!les of ight %rou!s. Any -ea!on ,arked -ith an asterisk
MGN is a -ea!on described in The Complete Fighter's Handbook, in the !<uipment cha!ter.
A2es4
Battle a5e,
8andJthro-ing a5e.
3o5s4
Co,!osite long bo-,
Co,!osite short bo-,
DaikyuG,
Long bo-,
Short bo-.
Clbbin& *ea!ons4
Belaying !inG,
Club,
Aoot,an@s ,ace,
8orse,an@s ,ace,
)orning star,
Warha,,er.
Crossbo5s4
8and crossbo-,
8eavy crossbo-,
Light crossbo-.
%en(in& 3lades4
DaggerJDirk,
4nifeJStilettoG,
)ain<gaucheG,
(a!ierG,
SabreG.
%lails4
Aoot,an@s flail,
8orse,an@s flail.
;an(es4
8eavy horse lance,
Light horse lance,
Jousting lance,
)ediu, horse lance.
;on& 3lades4
Bastard s-ord,
4atanaG,
Long s-ord,
Sci,itar,
-o<handed s-ord.
/edi" 3lades4
CutlassG,
4ho!esh,
Waki"ashiG.
Pi(ks4
Aoot,an@s !ick,
8orse,an@s !ick.
Polear"s4
A-l !ike,
Bardiche,
Bec de corbin,
Bill<guisar,e,
Aauchard,
Aauchard<fork,
%laive,
%laive<guisar,e,
%uisar,e,
%uisar,e<voulge,
8alberd,
8ook fauchard,
Lucern ha,,er,
)ancatcher,
)ilitary fork,
#aginataG,
*artisan,
(anseur,
S!etu,,
etsuboG,
Voulge.
S$ort 3lades4
DaggerJDirk,
4nifeJStilettoG,
)ain<gaucheG,
Short s-ordJDrususG.
Slin&s4
Sling,
Staff Sling.
S!ears4
8ar!oon,
Javelin,
Long S!earG,
S!ear,
rident.
*$i!s4
Scourge,
Whi!.
Cou@ll notice there@s a little overla! bet-een the Aencing Blades and Short Blades
grou!I so,e -ea!ons are co,,on to both grou!s.
Cou@ll also notice that so,e grou!s don@t look like they save you any -ea!on
!roficiency slots. he A5es, Alails, *icks, Sickles, Slings, and Whi!s grou! all have t-o
-ea!ons each in the,. Since a tight grou! costs t-o !roficiency slots, it a!!ears that
there@s no savings. Which is true . . . unless, in your ca,!aign, other -ea!ons related to
those grou!s are develo!ed or introduced. +f they areFif, for instance, a ,ediu,<si"ed
-ar<a5e a!!ears in the ca,!aignFthen the character -ith the grou! !roficiency -ill be
able to use it at no !enalty, -hile the character -ith !roficiency in Dust the t-o e5isting
a5es -ill suffer the attack !enalty.
hese categories are very close to the related -ea!on grou!s described fro, !age :6
of the Player's Handbook, and your D) can, if he -ishes, use these categories as related
grou!s. his hel!s deter,ine -hether or not a -arrior gets the full attack !enalty -hen he
uses a -ea!on unfa,iliar to hi,, or -hether he receives only half the !enalty for using
one si,ilar to a -ea!on -ith -hich he has !roficiency.
3road Gro!s
A Broad Wea!on %rou! consists of a set of -ea!ons that are so,e-hat si,ilar in the
-ay they are -ielded.
+t costs three Wea!on *roficiency Slots to beco,e !roficient in an entire broad grou!.
After !aying those three slots, the character -ill kno- ho- to use every -ea!on in that
grou! -ithout the usual !enalty for unfa,iliarity.
Aollo-ing are several e5a,!les of Broad %rou!s. As before, any -ea!on ,arked -ith
an asterisk MGN is a -ea!on described in The Complete Fighter's Handbook, in the
!<uipment cha!ter.

3lades4
Bastard s-ord,
CutlassG,
DaggerJDirk,
4atanaG,
4ho!esh,
4nifeJStilettoG,
Long s-ord,
)ain<gaucheG,
(a!ierG,
SabreG,
Sci,itar,
Short s-ordJDrususG,
-o<handed s-ord,
Waki"ashiG.
Clea.in&6Crs$in& *ea!ons4
Battle a5e,
Belaying *inG,
Club,
Aoot,an@s ,ace,
Aoot,an@s !ick,
8andJthro-ing a5e,
8orse,an@s ,ace,
8orse,an@s !ick,
)orning star,
Warha,,er.
Pole *ea!ons4
A-l !ike,
Bardiche,
Bec de corbin,
Bill<guisar,e,
Aauchard,
Aauchard<fork,
%laive,
%laive<guisar,e,
%uisar,e,
%uisar,e<voulge,
8alberd,
8ar!oon,
8ook fauchard,
Javelin,
Lucern ha,,er,
Long S!earG,
)ancatcher,
)ilitary fork,
#aginataG,
*artisan,
(anseur,
S!ear,
S!etu,,
etsuboG,
rident,
Voulge.
S"all #$ro5in& *ea!ons4
DaggerJDirk,
Dart,
8andJthro-ing a5e,
4nifeJstilettoG,
ShurikenG.
Again, you@ll see so,e overla! bet-een the S,all hro-ing Wea!ons grou! and other
grou!s.
hese grou!s ,ay not be used to calculate -ea!on si,ilarity for deter,ining -hether
a character receives the full or !artial attack !enalty for using an unfa,iliar -ea!on.
Non,Gro!s
Ainally, the follo-ing -ea!ons do not belong in any sort of grou! -hatsoever. o learn
any of these -ea!ons, the character ,ust s!end a -ea!on !roficiency slot on it, and none
of these is si,ilar in use to any other -ea!on. When a character !icks one u! and uses it
-ithout being !roficient in it already, he suffers the full !enalty.
*ea!ons Not 3elon&in& #o Any Gro!4
ArEuebus,
Blo-gun,
BolaG,
ChainG,
%affJhookG,
Lasso,
#et,
KuarterstaffJBo stickG,
#unchakuG,
SaiG.
S!e(ial Note4 he CestusG doesn@t reEuire any *roficiency. +t enhances !unching
da,age, and everyone kno-s ho- to !unch.
*ea!on S!e(iali9ation and *ea!on Gro!s
Although it is !ossible to beco,e !roficient in an entire grou! of -ea!ons, this doesn@t
,ean a character can spe"ialiHe in an entire grou! of -ea!ons.
As before, each -ea!on s!eciali"ation costs one Wea!on *roficiency Slot in a -ea!on
the character is already !roficient in. A character "an't !ay t-o !oints to be !roficient in
the Aencing Blades grou! and then another t-o to s!eciali"e in the sa,e grou!H 8e@d have
to take one<slot S!eciali"ations indi*idually for DaggerJDirk, 4nifeJStiletto, )ain<gauche,
(a!ier, and Sabre.
Let@s say a character -ants to kno- ho- to use every ty!e of blade ever ,ade . . . but
he -ants to be es!ecially good -ith the Long S-ord. As a first<level Warrior, he receives
four Wea!on *roficiency Slots to start -ith. 8e s!ends three to take *roficiency -ith the
entire Blades broad grou!, and s!ends his fourth to s!eciali"e in Long S-ord. 8e has his
-ishH 8e can !ick u! and use any blade -ea!on -ithout !enalty, but is !articularly ade!t
-ith the Long S-ord.
Si,ilarly, a character ,ight -ish to be !roficient -ith all bo-s, and es!ecially good
-ith the Co,!osite Long Bo-. 8e s!ends t-o -ea!on !roficiency slots to be !roficient
-ith the entire Bo-s tight grou!, and s!ends t-o ,ore slots Mbecause it is ,ore difficult
to s!eciali"e in bo-sI see the Player's Handbook. !age :6N to s!eciali"e in Co,!osite
Long Bo-. his character is at a disadvantage -ith any sort of -ea!on other than bo-s,
but can use all bo-s, and is es!ecially good -ith the Co,!osite Long Bo-.
Note
hat@s all you need to kno- no- about the use of Wea!on *roficiencies . . . as they@re
used to buy !roficiency and s!eciali"ation -ith -ea!ons. But there are ,ore things to use
these !roficiencies on, as you@ll see as you !roceed through the cha!ter.
A"bide2terity
+f a !layer -ants his character to be a,bide5trous, as described above under L&ff<
8and Wea!ons $se,L he ,ust devote one -ea!on !roficiency to A,bide5terity.
+f he does so, he@ll be able to fight nor,ally -ith both hands, and -ill be eEually ade!t
at non<co,bat tasks -ith both hands.
his doesn@t give hi, t-o attacks !er round. +t Dust ,eans that if he loses the use of
one hand, or dro!s the -ea!on in that hand, he@ll be eEually ade!t -ith the other.
Style S!e(iali9ation
Cou can use Wea!on *roficiencies to s!eciali"e in certain styles of fighting, such as
t-o s-ords, t-o<handed -ea!on, and so on. We describe ho- to do this belo-, under
LAighting Styles.L
Pn($in& and *restlin& S!e(iali9ation
As you can s!eciali"e in certain -ea!ons, you can also s!eciali"e in *unching and
Wrestling. Cou already kno- about *unching and Wrestling fro, the Player's Handbook,
!ages 1;<12I here, you@ll learn ho- to i,!rove a character@s *unching and Wrestling
abilities. Cou@ll find this infor,ation belo-, under L*unching, Wrestling, and )artial Arts.L
/artial Arts
Additionally, you@ll learn ho- ,ake your character !roficient Mor even a s!ecialistN in
eastern<style ,artial arts. hese rules -ork like the e5isting *unching and Wrestling rules,
but constitute a -hole ne- set of ,aneuvers and tactics a skilled fighter character can use
in co,bat. hese rules, too, you@ll find belo- under L*unching, Wrestling, and )artial
Arts.L
%i&$tin& Styles
+t gives a ca,!aign ,ore color -hen the -arriors fight -ith different styles. A huge
-arrior<knight -ielding a greats-ord looks and fights a lot differently fro, a slender
fencer carrying a ra!ier and ,ain<gauche.
Belo-, -e@ll describe several co,,on co,bat styles . . . and the interesting things you
can do -ith the, by taking a Style S!eciali"ation.
All these Aighting Styles refer to fighting -ith melee (eapons only. #one of the,
a!!lies to ,issile -ea!ons.
#$e %or %i&$tin& Styles
here are four co,,on Aighting Styles e,!loyed by anyone using a ,elee -ea!on.
hey areH
Sin&le,*ea!on Style4 he character -ields a -ea!on in one hand and carries nothing
in the other hand. he -ea!on can be as short as a Dagger or as long as a Bastard S-ord
or Long S!ear.
#5o,Hander Style4 he character -ields a -ea!on -hich reEuires Mor at least
acco,,odatesN the use of t-o hands. Such -ea!ons include those -hich reEuire t-o
hands M-o<8anded S-ord, *olear,s, and Kuarterstaff, for instanceN and those -hich can
be used one<and t-o<handed MBastard S-ord and S!ear, for e5a,!leN.
*ea!on and S$ield Style4 he character -ields a -ea!on in his good hand and
carries a shield on his off<hand. his co,bination can vary fro, a street<bravo@s choice of
dagger and s,all buckler to the classic knight@s choice of long s-ord and body shield.
#5o,*ea!on Style4 he character -ields one -ea!on in each hand. $nless both
-ea!ons are S,all MS on the Si"e colu,n on the Wea!ons chartN, the -ea!on in the
character@s off<hand ,ust be lighter in -eight than his !ri,ary -ea!on. his character can
vary fro, a street<thief -ielding t-o identical daggers, to a fencer using a ra!ier in one
hand and a ,ain<gauche in another, to a heavily<ar,ored -arrior -ith a long s-ord in one
hand and a short s-ord in the other. #oteH (ead the Player's Handbook, !age 1O, for the
rules on Attacking -ith -o Wea!ons.
All Warriors start !lay kno-ing ho- to use all four styles. *riests start !lay kno-ing
ho- to use Single<Wea!on, -o<8ander, and Wea!on and Shield styles. (ogues start !lay
kno-ing ho- to use Single<Wea!on, -o<8ander, and -o<Wea!on styles. Wi"ards start
!lay kno-ing ho- to use Single<Wea!on and -o<8ander styles. Characters cannot learn
ne- styles after they@re createdI these are the styles they are li,ited to by their choice of
character class.
A character can use a -ea!on style he kno-s -ith a -ea!on he does not kno- ho- to
use. Aor e5a,!le, -i"ards kno- -o<8ander style . . . so they can learn to use a
Euarterstaff. +f a -i"ard -ho doesn@t have *roficiency -ith a Euarterstaff !icks one u!, he
can still use the -ea!on in t-o hands. 8o-ever, he suffers the =: attack !enalty reEuired
by his unfa,iliarity and his character class.
Each style confers so,e basic advantages and disadvantages -hen used. hese are
described in the descri!tions of each individual style, belo-. Additionally, characters can
spe"ialiHe in these styles. Single<class -arriors can eventually s!eciali"e in all of the,I
other classes can only s!eciali"e in one style.
S!e(iali9in& 'n t$e Styles
Cou take a Style S!eciali"ation by devoting one -ea!on !roficiency slot to a )ighting
style/
Gidelines
o use a Style S!eciali"ation -ith a s!ecific -ea!on, you ,ust have -ea!on
!roficiency -ith that -ea!on. Aor e5a,!le, a character ,ight have bought Style
S!eciali"ation -ith -o<8ander Style. +f he has Wea!on *roficiencies -ith !olear,s, he
can use the benefits of Style S!eciali"ation -henever he uses !olear,s. But if he doesn@t
also have !roficiency -ith -o<handed S-ord, and !icks one u! to use it, he doesn't get
the benefits of -o<8ander Style S!eciali"ation -ith that -ea!on.
Cou can have both a Wea!on S!eciali"ation and a Style S!eciali"ation in the sa,e
-ea!on, but neither is de!endent on the otherI you can have one -ithout the other. Aor
e5a,!le, a character could have *roficiency -ith Sabre, S!eciali"ation -ith Sabre, and
then Style S!eciali"ation in Single<Wea!on styleI he@d be a ,aster fencer -ith the sabre.
&r, he could have Dust *roficiency and S!eciali"ation in Sabre, or Dust *roficiency in Sabre
and Style S!eciali"ation in Single<Wea!on style.
/lti!le Style S!e(iali9ations
A single<class Warrior can take ,ore than one Style S!eciali"ation. Wea!ons such as
Bastard S-ord, Javelin, and S!ear, -hich can be used one<handed or t-o<handed, -ith or
-ithout a shield, can have u! to four different Style S!eciali"ations taken for the,.
!'ample- A single$"lass %arrior has Pro)i"ien"y (ith 1astard :(ord/ He "ould
theoreti"ally take :ingle$%eapon :tyle :pe"ialiHation. T(o$Hander :tyle :pe"ialiHation.
%eapon and :hield :tyle :pe"ialiHation. and T(o$%eapon :tyle :pe"ialiHation (ith it/
1et(een )ights. or e*en in the "ourse o) the )ight. he "ould "hange the (ay he uses his
(eapon in order to gain di))erent ad*antages in the "ourse o) a "ombat/
;i"itations on Style S!e(iali9ation
A character ,ay begin !lay -ith only one Style S!eciali"ation. +f he is a single<class
Warrior, ,ay learn others as he gains ne- Wea!on *roficiencies through e5!erience.
&nly Warriors, (ogues and *riests can buy Style S!eciali"ations. &nly Warriors and
(ogues can buy the -o<Wea!on Style S!eciali"ation. &nly single<class Warriors can ever
learn more than one Style S!eciali"ation.
Belo- are descri!tions of the four Aighting Styles.
Sin&le,*ea!on Style
Single<Wea!on style ,eans that the character -ields a one<handed -ea!on in one
hand and nothing in the other. hough in real life this ty!e of -ea!on use is often at a
disadvantage co,!ared to ,any of the others, it@s very !o!ular in fil, and fiction . . . and
so it has so,e virtue in the ga,e.
Ad.anta&es
he advantage of single<-ea!on style in the AD&D ga,e is that the character kee!s
a hand free for gra!!ling, for s-itching -ea!ons, for sur!rise ,aneuvers, for -hatever
co,es along in the course of co,bat.
Aor instance, t-o fighters are going at it, and one !ins the other@s -ea!on Msee *in,
belo-, under L)elee )aneuversLN, the single<-ea!on fighter can use his free hand to
!erfor, !unching ,aneuversI and he can try to !erfor, barehanded ,aneuvers Mbelo-,
under L*unching, Wrestling, and )artial ArtsLN.
Disad.anta&es
he ,ain disadvantage to this style is that the character does not gain the benefit of a
shield@s AC bonus.
Style S!e(iali9ation
+f the character devotes a -ea!on !roficiency to Style S!eciali"ation -ith Single<
Wea!on Style, he gets a P0 AC bonus -hen using any one<handed -ea!on Mfor -hich he
has !roficiencyN in Single<Wea!on Style. 8e doesn@t get the bonus if he carries a shield or
-ea!on in his off<hand.
Additionally, he can devote an e'tra !roficiency to Single<Wea!on Style and have a
total P6 AC -hen fighting in this style. hat@s the li,it, thoughH 8e cannot devote ,ore
than t-o !roficiencies Mfor a total of P6 ACN -ith Single<Wea!on Style.
#5o,Hander Style
-o<8ander Style involves carrying and -ielding a -ea!on -ith both hands.
#aturally, ,any -ea!ons Mincluding !olear,s, the great a5e, the t-o<handed s-ord, and
othersN reEuire t-o<handed techniEue. &ther -ea!ons Msuch as bastard s-ord, Davelin, and
s!earN have it as a listed o!tion. M-o<handed o!tions for 8ar!oon, Javelin, Long S!ear,
S!ear, and rident are given in the !<uipment section of this rulebook, not in the Player's
Handbook.N
Ad.anta&es
he ,ain advantage of t-o<handed -ea!on techniEue is that it allo-s the character to
-ield large t-o<handed -ea!ons -hich can do substantial a,ounts of da,age.
A second advantage is that, if you are using a t-o<handed -ea!on, the Disar,
,aneuver Msee L)elee )aneuvers,L belo-N is only of !artial use against you.
A single successful Disar, against a t-o<handed -ea!on user -on@t knock the
-ea!on out of the -ielder@s handsI it -ill ,erely knock his -ea!on aske- and ,ake hi,
take so,e ti,e to recover, so he auto,atically loses initiative on his ne5t round.
8o-ever, t-o Disar, ,aneuvers successfully ,ade against the character in the sa,e
round (ill knock the -ea!on loose.
Disad.anta&es
As -ith single<-ea!on use, t-o<handed -ea!on techniEue has the dra-back that the
user cannot -ear or use a shield, or gain the shield@s AC bonus.
Style S!e(iali9ation
Cou can, by devoting a -ea!on !roficiency to it, take a Style S!eciali"ation -ith -o<
8ander Style.
Style S!eciali"ation -ith -o<8ander Style gives you a very s!ecific benefitH When
you@re using a -ea!on t-o<handed, that -ea!on@s S!eed Aactor is reduced by 9.
Aor e5a,!le, a fighter -ith -o<8ander Style S!eciali"ation and -ielding a Bastard
S-ord can -ield his -ea!on faster in t-o<handed style than in one<handed style. $sed in
one hand, the Bastard S-ord has a S!eed Aactor of O. +n t-o hands Mnor,allyN, it has a
S!eed Aactor of 2. But used in t-o hands by so,eone -ith -o<8ander Style
S!eciali"ation, it has a S!eed Aactor of M2=9N :.
his is because -hen a fighter -ields such a -ea!on -ith both hands on the hilt, he
has ,ore leverage on the blade and can ,ove it faster. hat@s -hat Style S!eciali"ation in
-o<8ander Style -ill do for the characterH +t teaches hi, ho- to use the -ea!on ,uch
faster and ,ore aggressively than so,eone -ith less s!eciali"ed training in the -ea!on.
One,Handed *ea!ons Used #5o,Handed
So,e !layers don@t reali"e that ,any other one<handed -ea!ons can also be used t-o<
handed. Since these -ea!ons don@t do any ,ore da,age t-o<handed, there usually isn@t
,uch reason to use the, this -ayI ho-ever, -ith Style S!eciali"ation in -o<8ander
Style, no- there@s a reason.
+f you s!eciali"e in -o<8ander Style and then use a one<handed -ea!on in t-o
hands, you also get a bonus of P0 to da,age. hus, if you take a -o<8ander Style
S!eciali"ation, -hen using a long s-ord t-o<handed, you do 0d2P0 da,age instead of the
base 0d2 Mor 0d06P0 vs. large targets, instead of the base 0d06N.
he one<handed -ea!ons -hich can be used t-o<handed in this fashion includeH Battle
a5e, Club, Aoot,an@s flail, Aoot,an@s !ick, 8orse,an@s flail, 8orse,an@s ,ace,
8orse,an@s !ick, )orning star, Long s-ord, Warha,,er.
*ea!on and S$ield Style
his is the classic techniEue of using a one<handed -ea!on and carrying a shield on
the other ar,.
Ad.anta&es
he !rinci!al advantage of Wea!on and Shield Style is that you get the AC bonus of a
shieldI this is es!ecially good -hen you can find a ,agical shield -hich confers a better
AC bonus.
A second advantage is that the character can use the Shield<(ush ,aneuver Mbelo-,
under L)elee )aneuversLN.
Disad.anta&es
he disadvantage to Wea!on and Shield Style is that the left ar, Mright ar,, for left<
handed charactersN is dedicated to the shield and is not ,uch use for anything else. +f the
character is disar,ed, all he has to -ield offensively is his shield, until he can get back to
his -ea!on. +f he is !inned in co,bat, he can@t use his shield hand for gra!!ling.
Style S!e(iali9ation
+f you devote a -ea!on !roficiency slot to s!eciali"ation in Wea!on and Shield Style,
you receive one e5tra attack !er round . . . only -hen using a shield on the shield<hand,
that is. Cou can use that e5tra attack only for the Shield<*unch and *arry ,aneuvers Msee
under L)elee )aneuvers,L belo-N.
As -ith the nor,al LAttacking -ith -o Wea!onsL rules Msee the Player's Handbook,
!age 1ON, -hen striking -ith both hands in a single co,bat round, the character suffers a =
6 to attack rolls -ith his -ea!on and a =3 to attack rolls -ith the Shield<*unch or *arry.
M+f you@re a,bide5trous, as described above under L&ff<8and Wea!ons $se,L that@s a =6
-ith -ea!on and =6 -ith shield.N +f you devote a se"ond -ea!on !roficiency slot to
Wea!on and Shield Style S!eciali"ation, that !enalty dro!s to -ith the -ea!on and =6
-ith the shield. M+f you@re a,bide5trous, that !enalty is 7 -ith -ea!on and 7 -ith shield.N
&n any round -hen you !erfor, t-o ,aneuvers, you do not get the AC bonus for the
shield for the rest of the round. +f you s-ing your s-ord and !erfor, a Shield<*unch in
the sa,e round, you do not get your shield@s AC bonus if anyone attacks you later in the
round.
#5o,*ea!on Style
With this !o!ular style, the fighter has a -ea!on in each handFusually a longer
-ea!on in his good hand and a shorter one in his off<hand. $nless the character has Style
S!eciali"ation in this style, the second Moff<handN -ea!on ,ust be shorter than the !ri,ary
-ea!on.
Ad.anta&es
&ne great advantage to this style is that you al-ays have another -ea!on in hand if
you dro! or lose one. A single Disar, ,aneuver cannot rid you of your -ea!ons.
Disad.anta&es
he !rinci!al disadvantage to this style, as -ith so,e other styles, is that you don@t
gain the AC benefit of a shield.
Style S!e(iali9ation
*lease read the LAttacking -ith -o Wea!onsL section fro, the Player's Handbook,
!age 1O, before continuing.
+f you devote a -ea!on !roficiency slot to style s!eciali"ation -ith -o<Wea!on
Style, you get t-o i,!ortant benefits. Airst, your attack !enalty dro!sI before, it -as a =6
-ith your !ri,ary -ea!on and =3 -ith your secondary, but -ith S!eciali"ation in -o<
Wea!on Style it beco,es 7 -ith your !ri,ary -ea!on and a =6 -ith your secondary
-ea!on. M+f you@re already a,bide5trous, as !er L&ff<8and Wea!ons $se,L above, that
!enalty is 7 -ith !ri,ary -ea!on and 7 -ith secondary -ea!on.N Second, you@re allo-ed
to use -ea!ons of the sa,e length in each hand, so you "an, for e5a,!le, -ield t-o long
s-ords.
When fighting -ith t-o<-ea!on techniEue, you can choose for both -ea!ons to try
the sa,e ,aneuver Mfor e5a,!le, t-o strikes, or t-o disar,sN, or can have each try a
different ,aneuver Mone strike and one !arry, one !in and one strikeN. +f the t-o
,aneuvers are to be different, each receives a =0 attack !enalty.
hough rangers don@t suffer the off<hand !enalties for t-o<-ea!ons use, they do not
get a bonus to attack rolls if they devote a -ea!on !roficiency slot to -o<Wea!on Style.
hey do get the other benefit, of being able to use -ea!ons of eEual length.
Sa"!le Style S!e(iali9ation
8ere@s an e5a,!le of ho- a character can use the -ea!on !roficiencies, -ea!on
s!eciali"ation, and style s!eciali"ation rules to beco,e very dangerous and very versatile
indeed.
1erris is a 6st le*el )ighter. but he's already *ery a""omplished (ith his (eapon o)
"hoi"e. the 1astard :(ord/ He has taken %eapon :pe"ialiHation (ith the 1astard :(ord
3t(o slots5. T(o$Hander :tyle :pe"ialiHation (ith the 1astard :(ord 3one slot5. and
:ingle$%eapon :tyle :pe"ialiHation (ith the 1astard :(ord 3one slot5/
From his (eapon spe"ialiHation. he re"ei*es a =6 to atta"k rolls and = to damage
(hene*er using a 1astard :(ord. regardless o) the te"hni<ue he uses/
%hen using the (eapon in :ingle$%eapon :tyle. one$handed. he gets a =6 to AC/
%hen using the (eapon in T(o$Hander :tyle. his (eapon's speed )a"tor drops )rom
an B 3normal t(o$handed speed )a"tor )or the 1astard :(ord5 to a 9. making it a *ery
<ui"k (eapon in his hands/
Style S!e(iali9ation and t$e C$ara(ter S$eet
Since style s!eciali"ations give the character certain benefits in co,bat, these benefits
need to be -ritten do-n on your character sheet.
he character sheet has blanks for all !ertinent notes. Aor e5a,!le, -ith the Berris
character ,entioned Dust above, the character sheet -ould include blanks -ith the
follo-ing infor,ationH
S!e(ial Abilities and Restri(tions4
P0 to hit
P6 da,age Bastard S-ord,
P0 AC used Single<8and,
S!eed Aactor : used -o<8anded
*ea!on Pro)i(ien(y Slots A.ailable4 3
*rof -JBastard S-dH 0
S!ec -JBastard S-dH 0
Single<Wea!on StyleH 0
-o<8ander StyleH 0
/elee /ane.ers
Strike and counter<strike, strike and counter<strikeH hat@s the for,ula for dull,
,echanical co,bat, and it@s no -ay to run the sort of s-ashbuckling, action<!acked
co,bat -hich should be the backbone of your AD&D ga,e adventures.
So here, -e@ll be describing all sorts of different co,bat ,aneuvers -hich your
characters can !erfor, in co,bat.
hese ,aneuvers aren@t li,ited to -arrior<classes alone. Anyone "an per)orm any o)
these maneu*ers, !rovided he has the right -ea!on or eEui!,ent. Any !riest -ith a shield
can !erfor, a Shield<*unch or Shield<(ushI any rogue or ,age -ith a good attack can
Disar, a foe. But -arriors -ill be !erfor,ing these ,aneuvers ,ost often.
Each of these ,aneuvers, -hen used in co,bat, constitutes one Attack. Characters
-ith ,ulti!le attacks !er round can ,i5 and ,atch their ,aneuvers. A character -ith t-o
attacks !er round could !erfor, one Strike and one *arry, for e5a,!le, one Called Shot
and one Disar,, one *in and one %rab, t-o Strikes, t-o *arries, or -hatever co,bination
he -anted.
Called S$ots
ake a look at Cha!ter #ine of the Dungeon Master's Guide, !age :2.
As you@ll see in those rules, -hen you -ish to ,ake a Called Shot, you announce this
before initiative is rolled, and you receive a P0 !enalty to your initiative. hen, -hen your
turn co,es u! in co,bat, you suffer a =3 !enalty to your attack roll. #aturally, you can
take Called Shots -ith ,elee, thro-n, and ,issile -ea!ons, and even -ith -ea!on<like
s!ells such as magi" missile/
Called Shots can be used for a variety of !ur!oses. he ,ost i,!ortant of these areH
Disar,ing a -ea!onI striking a s!ecific body !artI s,ashing so,ething being heldI
by!assing ar,orI and s!ecial results.
Disar,ing a -ea!on -arrants its o-n ,aneuver, so you@ll find LDisar,L belo-.
Strikin& A S!e(i)i( 3ody Part
As it ,entions in the DMG, again under L8itting a S!ecific arget,L the nor,al
AD&D ga,e is not geared to-ard a hit<location syste, -hich chronicles -here every
blo- lands and -hich body !arts get inDured. We@ll be !resenting so,e o!tions for that sort
of thing later in this cha!ter, but this section concerns so,ething slightly different.
)onsters often have body !arts or features -ith e5traordinary or ,agical effectsI
e5a,!les include the eyes of the beholder, tentacles of the carrion cra-ler, individual
heads of the chi,era, and so on. )any ani,ated statues are ,otivated by a ,edallion,
inscri!tion, or i,bedded ge,.
A hero can take a called shot to attack those very s!eciali"ed locationsI this is a very
heroic thing to do. +t@s u! to the D) to deter,ine ho- ,uch da,age such body !arts can
takeI so,e -ill take as little as 0 !oint of da,age before being destroyed, -hile others
,ay be e5!ressed in fractions of the creature@s nor,al hit !oint total.
S"as$in& So"et$in& 3ein& Held
&ften, an ene,y -ill be holding so,ething and a hero -ill not -ish hi, to hold on to
it. +f the attacking character -ishes to knock it out of his hand, that@s the Disar,
,aneuverI if he -ishes to destroy it in the o!!onent@s hand, that@s S,ashing So,ething
Being 8eld.
+f an alche,ist is holding a bottle of fla,,able liEuid to hurl at the !arty, it@s very
heroic to s-ing a s-ord or thro- a knife and s,ash it -hile he holds it u! to thro-H With
one blo-, you@ve !rotected your friends and i,,olated an evil ene,y. +f a de,onic foe has
finally gotten his hands on the Cursed Wand of Anti<Life, it@s ,ore than a!!ro!riate to fire
an arro- or Euarrel and s,ash it in the de,on@s hands.
Again, the D) decides ho- ,any !oints it takes to s,ash such things. +n the case of a
vial of liEuid, it@s not ,uchFone or t-o at ,ost.
3y!assin& Ar"or
his o!tion is not !resent to let heroes by!ass or ignore the AC value of nor,al ar,or.
+f that -ere allo-ed, all *Cs and all ,onsters -ould be using the Called Shots ,aneuver
al,ost e5clusively, -hich -ould be very annoying.
#o, the By!assing Ar,or o!tion is used -hen the D) has introduced a ,onster or
ene,y -hich can@t be beaten any -ay e5ce!t through the discovery and e5!loitation of its
L-eak s!ot.L Like alos, the invulnerable bron"e ,an of %reek ,yth, these ,onsters are
i,!ossible to da,age Mthis is usually e5!ressed as a ,onstrous AC and an invulnerability
to any but the ,ost !o-erful of ,agical -ea!onsFP3 or betterNI ho-ever, each one has a
-eak s!ot.
hese -eak s!ots are al-ays visible to the eye, if the hero thinks to look for it and can
see the body !art -here it is. MAor e5a,!le, a dragon ,ight not -ant to flyI this is so that
it can kee! its -ings folded do-n over its unar,ored s!ots.N A clever -arrior -ill reali"e
that it@s covering u! for so,ething and try to trick it into ,oving its -ings.
+f a hero is bright enough to look for the -eak s!ot, and !erha!s trick a ,onster into
sho-ing the -eak s!ot, the -arrior can then take a Called Shot and hit it. 8e@ll do the
,onster great da,age Mor !erha!s kill it outrightI that@s for the D) to deter,ineN.
!'amples- A dragon (hi"h has in*ulnerable hide 3but (hi"h. suspi"iously. ne*er
opens its mouth to breathe )lame / / / be"ause its inner mouth is not armored50 a
me"hani"al man (ith a small. nearly$in*isible slot used by the in*entor to open it up 3but
(hi"h a hero (ith a kni)e "an use to damage its internal ma"hinery50 a (arrior (ith
armored skin but an unarmored ankle0 a mummy (hi"h keeps one arm "rossed o*er its
"hest to prote"t its other(ise unde)ended heart0 a G' high golem (hose (eak spot is the
unseen top o) its head/
Again, this only -orks -hen the D) has created a ,onster -hich can Mor ,ustN be
defeated in this very -ay. +f a fight isn@t going the characters@ -ay but the characters are
gradually doing da,age to the ,onster, then the ,onster !robably isn@t one of these
invulnerable<beasts<-ith<-eak<s!ots, and it@s !ointless to take lots of called shots at
rando, body !arts LDust in case.L
S!e(ial Reslts
Ainally, the Called Shot can be used for a variety of s!ecial results, es!ecially neat and
interesting results such as the ones you see in ,ovies and fiction. E5a,!lesH
Car.in& 'nitials 'nto So"eone8 Each successful Called Shot -ill enable a character
-ith a shar! blade to slice one letter or initial into a tableto!, a -allFor the flesh of an
o!!onent. his does only one !oint of da,age, and has one of t-o resultsH Against an
ene,y of eEual or lo-er level or influence, it can cause the ene,y to lose ,orale or
surrender MD) choiceNI against an ene,y of eEual or higher level or influence, it -ill be
considered such an insult that this ene,y -ill not rest until you are dead. hus, it is best
!erfor,ed against ene,y ,inions to i,!ress and scare the,, to !ersuade the, to run
a-ay or hel! you. *erfor,ed against ene,ies -ho are your eEual in ability or status, this
,aneuver ,erely earns you a foe for life.
Cttin& 3ttons O))8 Each successful Called Shot -ill enable a character to sni! off
one button, brooch, ge, or other sartorial ele,ent fro, an ene,y@s outfit. +t can also be
used to fli! a necklace off so,eone@s head, s!ring the catch on a bracelet, etc. his has the
sa,e good effects as carving initials into so,eone, but -ill not earn you the en,ity of an
o!!onent -ho is your eEual.
Sta!lin&8 his classic ,aneuver is best !erfor,ed -ith a thro-n knife or -ith an
arro- or Euarrel, though it can be !erfor,ed -ith shar! ,elee -ea!ons. he target ,ust
be near so,e !iece of furniture or -all, and that furniture or -all should be -ood, !laster,
or any other ,aterial that such a -ea!on -ill !enetrate. With a successful Called Shot,
you sta!le so,e ite, of the target@s clothing Myour choiceN to that nearby surface. he
target ,ust s!end a co,bat round getting hi,self free. Mhis does not reEuire any sort of
rollI it Dust takes a fe- ,o,ents to !ull the knife free, tear the cloth of his gar,ent,
-hatever it takes.N +f so,eone attacks hi, -hile he is !inned, he suffers a =6 !enalty to
AC Mi.e., a 9 beco,es a :N and attacks. +f the target is sta!led and ,ust defend hi,self
-hile trying to tear hi,self free, he suffers those AC and attack !enalties but -ill be able
to tear hi,self free after a total of three rounds.
Hosta&e,#akin&8 +f a character successfully grabs a victi, during one round Msee the
%rab ,aneuver, belo-N, he ,ay use a Called Shot on his ne5t round to !ut his dagger to
the hostage@s throat. his does no da,age to the hostage, but the attacker can then, at any
ti,e, drive the knife ho,e for t-ice nor,al da,age M-hich he -ill !robably do if the
hostage does not surrender, or if so,eone else he is threatening does not surrender.N
Disar"
he Disar, is a s!ecific variation on Called Shots. With the Disar,, the attacker takes
a Called Shot at the -ea!on his target is currently using.
Disar" .s8 Sin&le,Handed *ea!ons
With the basic Disar, ,aneuver, the attacker follo-s the nor,al rules for Called
Shots Mannouncing his intention before initiative and receiving a P0 ,odifier to initiative,
and then suffering a =3 attack !enaltyNI if his attack is successful, he -ill Mnor,allyN cause
his ene,y@s -ea!on to go flying fro, his ene,y@s hand.
(oll 6dO. he nu,ber rolled is the nu,ber of feet the -ea!on flies. (oll 0dO. he
nu,ber rolled deter,ines -hich direction the -ea!on goes. Mhis is described in ter,s of
the attacker@s facing. Straight Ahead ,eans straight ahead fro, the attackerI Behind ,eans
behind the attacker.
0 R Straight Ahead
6 R Ahead, (ight
9 R Behind, (ight
3 R Straight Behind
: R Behind, Left
O R Ahead, Left
his Disar, can also be used on ,agic -ands, crystal balls, and any other sort of
,agical a!!aratus -hich is held in one hand. +f the ite, is -orn Mlike De-elryN, it cannot be
Disar,ed. M#oteH Wea!ons, -hen used, cannot be -orn like De-elry.N
Disar" .s8 #5o,Handed *ea!ons
Disar, does not -ork nearly so -ell against t-o<handed -ea!ons. +f you !erfor, a
Disar, against a -ielder of a t-o<handed -ea!on Mincluding ,agical stavesN, it ,erely
knocks the -ea!on out of align,ent brieflyI the -ea!on@s -ielder auto,atically loses
initiative on the ne5t round. 8o-ever, t-o Disar,s ,ade against the -ielder in the same
round -ill knock the -ea!on freeI roll only 0dO to see ho- ,any feet it flies, and 0dO to
see -hich direction it goes.
#aturally, the t-o Disar, ,aneuvers don@t have to co,e fro, the sa,e character.
-o characters can -ork together to disar, the t-o<handed -ielderI or, one character
-ith ,ulti!le attacks in a round can do the Dob hi,self.
+f a character finds his t-o<handed -ea!on !artially disar,ed, and he still has at least
one attack to !erfor, this round, he can elect to forget about his ne5t attack and ,ay use
that attack to recover his -ea!on instead.
!'ample- Torreth and Amstard are )ighting. Torreth (ith long s(ord and shield.
Amstard (ith t(o$handed s(ord/ 1oth "hara"ters ha*e t(o atta"ks per round/ Torreth has
initiati*e/ He su""ess)ully Disarms Amstard. dra(ing his (eapon out o) line/ Amstard
no( has his )irst atta"k o) the round/ He "an either pun"h Torreth (ith his gauntleted )ist.
in (hi"h "ase his s(ord (ill still be out o) line. or he "an re"o*er )rom the Disarm/ He
"hooses to re"o*er/ He s(ings the (eapon ba"k into line and is ready )or the ne't
e'"hange/ He su))ers no initiati*e penalty on the ne't turn/
Disar" .s8 S$ields
Disar, is only of !artial usefulness -hen struck against a shield. +t -on@t tear the
shield loose fro, the -ielder@s ar,. 8o-ever, it -ill dra- it out Mknock it out of
align,ent, so that the -ielder is not !rotected by itN. Aor the rest of the round, the shield<
-ielder loses the AC bonus of the shield Mand any ,agical benefits, tooN. At the start of the
ne5t co,bat round, even before initiative is rolled, the character regains his shield@s AC
bonus.
+f a shield has other !ro!erties, those stay in effect, even -hen the shield is Disar,ed
out of align,ent. Aor e5a,!le, let@s say a shield radiates a prote"tion )rom e*il s!ell. +f it@s
Disar,ed, and dra-n out of align,ent, its -ielder still gets the benefits of that prote"tion
)rom e*il s!ell. &nly -hen he dro!s the shield or has it forcibly -rested a-ay fro, hi,
does he lose that benefit.
As -ith the Disar,ing of t-o<handed -ea!ons, if a character finds his shield
disar,ed, and he still has at least one attack to !erfor, this round, he can elect to forget
about his ne5t attack and ,ay use that attack to recover his -ea!on instead.
!'ample- At the start o) the ne't round. Amstard's ally Jeter. "arrying a halberd. 2oins
the )ight/ Torreth (ins initiati*e again/ He takes an ordinary strike at Amstard and
misses/ Jeter "hooses to Disarm Torreth's shield =C/ He su""ess)ully Disarms it/ Eo(.
Amstard takes his shot. his "han"es greatly impro*ed be"ause Torreth's shield bonus to
AC doesn't "ome into play/ He smites Torreth (ith a mighty blo(/ Torreth has another
atta"k this round- #ealiHing that he's going to get hurt i) he doesn't ha*e his shield up. he
)orgets about a se"ond atta"k and uses that time to bring his shield ba"k up/
#$ro5n,*ea!on and /issile Disar"s
Cou can !erfor, the Disar, ,aneuver -ith thro-n -ea!ons and ,issile -ea!ons.
When thro-ing s,all MSN -ea!ons, you suffer an additional =6 attack !enalty because
these -ea!ons don@t have a lot of -eightI it@s harder for the, to knock the -ea!on out of
so,eone@s hands. )ediu, M)N or larger -ea!ons don@t suffer this !enalty, nor do arro-s,
Euarrels, or sling stones.
hro-n<-ea!on and ,issile Disar,s ,ay only be !erfor,ed against single<hand
-ea!ons. hey auto,atically fail vs. t-o<hand -ea!ons and shields.
E2!ert Disar"s
+f you@re a very e5!erienced fighter, and are -illing to suffer a serious !enalty in order
to i,!ress your ene,y, you can !erfor, an Le5!ert disar,L against single<hand -ea!ons
only. his suffers the !enalty of t(o Called ShotsH Announce intent before initiative, then
suffer a P6 to initiative and a =2 to attack rolls.
But if it does hit, -hen you Disar, the -ea!on, you can send it !retty ,uch -here
you -ant it to, -ithin 06 feet of the target. +f, for instance, one of your allies has lost his
s-ord, and your ene,y is -ielding a co,!arable s-ord, you ,ight -ish to E5!ertly
Disar, your ene,y@s s-ord to land right in front of your friend. &r, if you@re fighting -ith
a dagger and your ene,y has a s-ord you -ant, you ,ight E5!ertly Disar, his blade to
fly u! into the airI you dro! your knife and the s-ord dro!s right into your hand.
his is an al,ost !re!osterously heroic sort of thing to do Mit only ha!!ens in the ,ost
s-ashbuckling fiction and ,ovies, after allN so the D) ,ay not -ish to allo- this o!tion
in a ,ore gritty or realistic ca,!aign. &n the other hand, he ,ay grant bonus >* to
characters -ith the te,erity to try it . . . and succeedT
Grab
he %rab is another ty!e of Called Shot. o !erfor, it, you ,ust have at least one
hand freeI t-o hands are better if you@re grabbing and trying to hold a !erson.
When !erfor,ing the %rab, begin as -ith a Called Shot Mannounce before initiative, P0
to initiative, =3 to attack rollsN.
+f you hit, you@ve gotten your hand on -hatever it -as you -ere trying to grabH +t
could be an ene,y@s -ea!on, an i,!ortant ite, you@re trying to retrieve, or any such
thing.
8o-ever, Dust because you@ve grabbed hold of the obDect doesn@t ,ean that you@re in
control of it. +f so,e other !erson already has hold of the obDect, he@s going to struggle
-ith you for control.
+n the sa,e round that you !erfor,ed the grab, roll 0d67. Cour o!!onent -ill do the
sa,e.
Co,!are the nu,ber you rolled to your Strength ability score. Whichever one of you
rolled better against his score -on the tug<of<-ar contest.
Aor !ur!oses of the %rab, all 02 scores M70=:7, :0=;:, etc.N are Dust 02. 8o-ever, in
case of a tie, a higher<!ercentile 02 beats a lo-er<!ercentile 02. MAor instance, an 02J37
beats an 02J97, an 02J77 beats an 02J11, etc.N
!'ample- #athnar the 1arbarian tries to grab the #uby ?rb o) 1lassendom )rom the
hands o) his enemy/ He su""ess)ully rolls to atta"k rolls and gets his )ree hand on the
?rb/
#athnar is :trength 68/ His enemy is :trength 69/ 1oth roll 6d7/
#athnar rolls a 67/ He's made his roll by 8/ His enemy rolls a G/ He's made his roll by
F/ #athnar snat"hes the ?rb a(ay/
+f you grab so,ething and then fail your Strength ability roll, then you@ve lostH Cour
ene,y has snatched the obDect back out of your hand.
A tie Mfor instance, if both of you ,ade your roll by :, or both ,issed it by 6, or ca,e
u! -ith any other identical ans-erN ,eans that you re<roll, during the sa,e round. reat
this second roll as if it -ere a second attack in the sa,e round for deter,ining -hen in the
round it takes !lace Min other -ords, it -ill take !lace a)ter all other characters have
!erfor,ed their first ,aneuvers for the roundN.
8o-ever, all these Strength rolls resulting fro, a single %rab ,aneuver are counted as
one LattackIL if a character can ,ake t-o attacks in a round, and his first attack is a %rab,
and the grab leads to t-o or three Strength rolls due to struggling, that@s all still only one
attack. he character still gets his second attack later in the round.
Grabbin& A Person
+f you@re %rabbing so,eone to hold hi, against his -ill, you need to consult the
Wrestling rules fro, the Player's Handbook, !ages 1;<12. Also, see belo- under
UU*unching, Wrestling, and )artial Arts.@@
+f you@re %rabbing so,eone and you use only one hand, you have t-o strikes against
you. Airst, the attack is treated as a Called Shot, -ith the usual !enaltiesI second, you@re
treated as if your Strength ability score -ere 9 less. +f you have a Strength of 0: and grab
so,eone one<handed, you ,ake your Strength roll as if you had a Strength of 06.
MStrengths of 02 aren@t auto,atically dro!!ed to a 0:I it de!ends on the 02 Strength@s
!ercentile bonus. An 02J77 dro!s to an 02J:0. An 02J10=02J11 dro!s to an 02J70. An
02J;O=02J17 dro!s to a !lain 02. An 02J:0=02J;: dro!s to a 0;. An 02J70 dro!s to a 0O.
And the !lain 02 dro!s to a 0:.N
+f you use both hands, you don@t have to use the Called Shot rulesI you can ,ake a
Wrestling attack -ithout announcing it far in advance, and don@t suffer the P0 initiative or
=3 to attack !enalty. Also, you get to use your full Strength score. Deter,ine the results of
your attack as a Wrestling attack.
+f your o!!onent has any attacks left this co,bat round, he can res!ond -ith a
Wrestling, *unching, or other attack Msuch as stabbing you -ith a short -ea!on, for
instanceN. +f your Wrestling attack roll resulted in a hold of so,e sort Many result on the
UU*unching and Wrestling (esults@@ chart -ith a LGL beside itN, he has a =3 !enalty to attack
rolls -ith any attack but another Wrestling attack. 8o-ever, he can use his attack to try to
break your hold Musing the Strength roll tactic described above, under the descri!tion for
%rabN.
Grabbin& a /onster
he sa,e rules a!!ly to grabbing ,onsters . . . but there are a cou!le of other things
to consider.
No Stren&t$ Ability S(ore8 )ost ,onsters aren@t listed -ith a Strength ability score.
his ,akes co,!arisons a little difficult. +n general, if the situation ever co,es u!, the D)
should decide for hi,self -hat Strength a s!ecific ,onster has.
8ere@s one rough rule of thu,b to a!!ro5i,ate a Strength scoreH Deter,ine ho- ,uch
da,age the ,onster can do -ith its single largest attack. hat@s your starting nu,ber. M+n
other -ords, if it does 0=2 da,age -ith its -orst attack, you start -ith the nu,ber 2.N
+f the ,onster has ,ulti!le attacks, add 0 to the starting nu,ber !er e5tra attack the
,onster has.
Add 2 to the nu,ber if the ,onster is an ani,al kno-n for its ability to carry -eight
Mhorses, !egasi, ca,elsN or contains !arts of such a ,onster Mas the hi!!ogriff doesN.
he D) ,ay further adDust this nu,ber as he desires.
he result is a rough ,easure of the ,onster@s Strength.
MCes, there -ill be ,any e5a,!les -hich don@t adhere -ell to that rule of thu,b. But
it@s so,e!lace to start.N
!'ample- The Eightmare has atta"ks o) >BKC>67KC>67/ +ts largest possible atta"k is
67 3our starting number50 it has t(o e'tra atta"ks per round 3)or a = to that starting
number50 it's a horse$like animal 3)or a =B5/ Final :trength s"ore- 7/
Si9e Di))eren(e8 Also, the relative si"e of the t-o co,batants is i,!ortant. 8u,ans
are ,ediu,<si"ed M)N UU,onsters.@@ hey have an advantage -hen grabbing s,all ,onsters
Msuch as goblins, i,!s, and children, for instanceN and a disadvantage -hen grabbing large
ones Mdragons, gole,s and hi!!o!ota,i, for e5a,!leN.
reat a character@s Strength as 9 higher -hen he is grabbing and struggling -ith a
s,aller ,onster, and O lo-er -hen grabbing and struggling -ith a larger one. Mhis bonus
or !enalty is hal*ed -ith !layer<character races and de,ihu,an #*Cs. hus, halflings,
goblins, kobolds and gno,es are at a =9 -hen -restling -ith )ediu,<si"ed o!!onents
such as hu,ansI D-arves, because they are so close to hu,an<si"ed, are not. 8u,ans are
at a ,ere P0 bonus to Strength -hen -restling -ith halflings, goblins, kobolds and
gno,es.N
%rabbing is !erfor,ed -ith hands only. he character ,ay be -earing gloves or even
the Cestus described in the !<uipment cha!ter of this book, but ,ay not be holding any
other -ea!on in his %rabbing hand.
Hold Atta(k
his is a sort of non<attack ,aneuver.
he 8old Attack ,aneuver is a -ay for a character to delay ,aking his attack until
later in the co,bat round. +t@s usually !erfor,ed -hen the character is ho!ing that battle
circu,stances -ill change so that he can get a shot in so,e-here that is currently too
-ell<defended. Archers use this ,aneuver a lot, so that they can sni!e ,ore effectively.
o !erfor, the 8old )aneuver, the character, -hen it@s ti,e for hi, to announce his
intention, says L+@, holding ,y ,aneuver.L Co,bat !roceeds to the ne5t character.
hen, once everyone has gone in the round, as secondary attacks are being
deter,ined, the D) again asks the character -hat he@s going to doI he can take his action
then. +f he does not, he forfeits that attack.
C$ara(ters *it$ /lti!le Atta(ks
+f a character already has ,ulti!le attacks in a round, he can still !erfor, the 8old
Attack ,aneuver -ith any or all of his attacks. his can ,ake things a little co,!licated,
but it@s not a lot of trouble.
!'ample- +n this )ight. #athnar the 1arbarian 3(ho has one atta"k per round5.
Drusilla the :pear$Maiden 3(ho has t(o per round5. and ,a"ksley the Ar"her 3(ho has
three per t(o. and has t(o this round5 are )ighting a 2ungle (arrior 3t(o atta"ks per
round5 and his monstrous 2aguar ally 3three atta"ks per round5/
This round. ,a"ksley (ants to shoot the 2aguar0 but he's still "aught in a spring$
loaded animal trap. and Drusilla is bet(een him and the 2aguar/
The player$"hara"ters (in initiati*e/ Drusilla uses her )irst atta"k to spear the 2ungle
(arrior/ #athnar uses his sole atta"k to s(ing his a'e at the 2aguar monster/ ,a"ksley
announ"es that he's holding his maneu*er/ Eo( it's time )or the monsters to respond0 the
2ungle (arrior atta"ks Drusilla (ith his o(n spear. and the 2aguar$monster 2umps on
#athnar and uses one o) its t(o pa( hits/
+t's time )or se"ondary maneu*ers/ Drusilla misses her se"ond strike/ #athnar has no
se"ond strike/ +t's time )or ,a"ksley to a"t/ He asks the DM i) Drusilla has mo*ed out o)
position yet. and the DM rules that she has/ He )ires. s"oring a hit on the 2aguar monster/
The 2ungle (arrior stabs Drusilla again (ith his se"ond strike. and the 2aguar lat"hes
hold o) #athnar (ith his se"ond pa( strike/
+t's time )or tertiary maneu*ers/ ,a"ksley. be"ause o) his Hold Atta"k maneu*er. no(
takes (hat (ould ha*e been his se"ondary maneu*er/ He shoots the 2aguar again. killing
it0 it rolls o)) #athnar be)ore it "an in)li"t its third atta"k. a deadly bite or an e*en more
deadly rake/
Parry
ake a look at Cha!ter #ine of the Dungeon Master's Guide, !age O0, at the *arrying
o!tional rule.
hat@s one -ay to si,ulate a fighter going on the defensiveI the o!tional *arry
,aneuver !resented here is done a different -ay.
o !erfor, this *arry, you ,ust announce before initiative is rolled that you@re going
to *arry. M+f you have ,ore than one attack !er round, you ,ust announce ho- ,any of
the, are going to be *arries.N
hen, during the round, the first ti,e an attacker strikes at you Meven if it@s before your
turn to strikeN, you roll your *arry. (oll to attack rolls your attacker, and roll vs. his AC
Mincluding all bonuses for shield, ,agical ite,s, etc.N. Cou can use your -ea!on at its
nor,al chance to attack rolls, or your shield at a P6 to your chance to attack rolls M!lus
any ,agical bonus the shield confersN. +f you hit, his attack is !arried and does you no
da,age.
Cou can *arry thro-n -ea!ons, but not ,issile attacks MEuarrels, arro-s, sling stones,
magi" missiles, etc.N.
C$oi(e o) Parries
Cou don@t necessarily have to *arry the very first attack ,ade against you . . . though
that is the si,!lest -ay to do things. +f you !refer, you can choose -hich attacker you@re
going to *arry.
!'ample- Amstard is )ighting an ogre and its idioti" goblin 2ester/ 1e)ore initiati*e is
rolled. he announ"es that he'll be using one o) his t(o atta"ks to Parry/
The EPCs (in initiati*e and atta"k/ The 2ester atta"ks )irst/ Amstard announ"es that
he's not Parrying this atta"k/ The 2ester hits him. doing minus"ule damage/ Then the ogre
atta"ks/ Amstard announ"es that he is Parrying this atta"k/ The ogre rolls an atta"k. and
su""eeds0 Amstard rolls to atta"k. and su""eeds in Parrying the atta"k/
Then. it's the player$"hara"ters' turn/ Amstard still has an atta"k le)t. and so s(ings
at the ogre/
+f a character 8olds his *arry, antici!ating that so,e other attacker -ill s-ing at hi,,
but that attack never ,ateriali"es Mfor e5a,!le, because that s!ecific o!!onent -ent
so,e-here elseN, and he@s still suffering attacks this round, he can use that *arry against
one of these other attacks. 8e ,ay not, ho-ever, a!!ly it against an attack that has
already taken !lace.
Polear" Parries
+f you@re -ielding a !olear,, you can !arry an attack fro, another character -ielding
a !olear,, even if that character is attacking so,eone else. o do this, you ,ust be -ithin
range either of that attacker or his intended victi,.
!'ample- Amstard is (ielding a halberd )rom behind the shield$(all his )riends are
holding/ Amstard announ"es. be)ore initiati*e. that he'll use one o) his atta"ks )or a
Parry and the other )or an atta"k/ A)ter initiati*e. an EPC (ith a glai*e takes a s(ing at
Drusilla/ Though the glai*e$(ielder is out o) Amstard's range. Drusilla is right in )ront o)
Amstard. easily (ithin his range/ Amstard rolls his Parry. rolling against the glai*e$
(ielder's AC. and hits0 he parries the atta"k/ %hen it's time )or the PCs to atta"k.
Drusilla puts the glai*e$(ielder do(n and Amstard s(ings his halberd against another
enemy/
/issile *ea!on Parries
+n des!erate situations, a character can !arry -ith a ,issile -ea!on he is holding Mbo-,
crossbo-, or staff sling, but not slingN. +f he is successful -ith his !arry, though, his
-ea!on is ruinedI the ene,y@s attack has destroyed it. 8e ,ay continue !arrying -ith it
until it is co,!letely destroyed Mrules for destroying -ea!ons and ar,or a!!ear in the
!<uipment cha!ter of this bookN, but it ,ay never again be used for its original !ur!ose.
Parryin& )ro" t$e D/G
Even if you use this *arry ,aneuver, you can still use the *arrying o!tion fro, the
Dungeon Master's Guide, !age O0.
+ncidentally, since the DMG's *arrying counts against all attacks co,ing in on the
fighter that round, the fighter needs to announce, before initiative is rolled, that he is
!erfor,ing the *arrying ,aneuver for the AC bonus.
Pin
With the *in ,aneuver, you ,ove close to your ene,y Mright u! in his faceN and use
either a -ea!on or your shield to !in, or tra!, his -ea!onFusually by !ressing it against
hi, so that he can@t ,ove.
his is like a Called Shot, e5ce!t that you don't ha*e to announ"e it be)ore initiati*e
and you don@t suffer a P0 to initiative. Cou do still suffer the =3 attack !enalty.
+f you successfully hit, the victi, can@t use his !inned -ea!on until the !in is broken,
and you can@t use your !inning -ea!on or shield until the !in is broken.
When the !in is first !erfor,ed, the victi, gets one chance to struggle, using a
Strength roll e5actly as described for the %rab ,aneuver, above. +f he succeeds, he yanks
the -ea!on freeI if he has attacks left this round, he can use all of the,. +f he fails, the
-ea!on re,ains !inned for the rest of the roundI the victi, loses one of his attacks for the
round Mif he only had one, he@s out of luck until ne5t roundNI but ne5t round and in
succeeding rounds, his first struggle atte,!t each round does not count against his
available attacks. MSubseEuent ones in the sa,e round do count as attacks.N
+t is !ossible to *in so,eone -ith the ,issile -ea!on you are carrying Me5ce!t for the
ordinary SlingN. While it@s being used to *in, it ,ay not be used as a ,issile -ea!on. +f it
-as ar,ed Man arro- -as nocked, a Euarrel -as in !lace, or a stone -as in the staff<sling@s
!ouchN, it loses that ,issile in the struggleI the character ,ust reload it later.
Pll6#ri!
his ,aneuver is designed to knock o!!onents do-n.
When using the *ullJri! ,aneuver, the attacker announces his intention -hen it@s his
turn to attack. 8e describes ho- he@s !erfor,ing the ,aneuver to the D), -ho ,ay rule
that it@s i,!ossible.
+f it is !ossible, though, the attacker rolls vs. the target@s AC as -ith any nor,al attack.
he target then rolls 0d67 against his De5terity. +f he succeeds, he stays on his feet. +f
he fails, he falls do-n. )odifiers to his De5terity includeH
PO arget Was #ot )oving
=9 arget Was $na-are of Attack
he *ullJri! ,aneuver is best !erfor,ed on so,eone -ho is ,oving and una-are of
you. A target -ho is standing still Mnot -alking or runningN and is a-are of his attacker is
very hard to knock do-n.
Use o) Polear"s
*olear,s Mand any other -ea!ons -ith long staff<like ele,entsFEuarterstaves, lances,
s!ears, etc.N are good -ea!ons to have -hen you@re trying the *ullJri! ,aneuver.
Cou can *ullJri! so,eone at the ,a5i,u, range of your -ea!on, for instance, -ith
no additional !enalty to attack rolls.
Cou can *ullJri! ,oving ani,als -ith a !olear,I this is at a =O !enalty to attack rolls
if the ani,al is Large Mbut you can@t even try it on a Large ani,al (ithout a !ole of so,e
sortN.
And, finally, they are very useful for knocking riders off their ,ounts. With a
,ancatcher or !olear, Mthough not -ith a Euarterstaff, lance or s!earN, you can attack a
,ounted rider and have a good chance of !ulling hi, fro, his horse. he De5terity
,odifiers listed above also a!!ly to the rider@s chance to stay ,ounted.
Sa!
Sa!!ing so,eoneFi.e., hitting hi, over the head in order to knock hi, outFis a
,aneuver you undertake -hen you -ish to ca!ture an ene,y alive Mor Dust inca!acitate
hi, -ithout killing hi,N.
o do this, the attacking character ,akes a Called Shot at an additional =3 to attack
rolls Mso it@s =2 total, !lus the usual Called Shot !enalties of having to announce your
,aneuver before initiative and suffering a P0 to initiativeN.
+f the attack hits, the character rolls ordinary da,age for the -ea!on. 8e gets a :Q
chance of knockout Mas !er the *unching and Wrestling rulesN for every !oint of da,age
he does, u! to a ,a5i,u, of 37Q.
!'ample- :ir Amstard (ants to kno"k out a noble opponent rather than kill him/ He
atta"ks to :ap the opponent/ ,u"kily. e*en (ith the >B to atta"k rolls. he su""ess)ully hits
his )oe/ %ith his s(ord. he rolls F points o) damage/ This gi*es him a 3F'9L5 A7L "han"e
o) an instant kno"kout/ ?n his per"entile di"e. he rolls C0 he has )ailed this time/ He'll
try again/
he da,age done by Sa! attacks is the sa,e as that done by *unchingI in other -ords,
only 6:Q is nor,al, or L!er,anent,L da,age. he other ;:Q is te,!orary, and -ears off
after a short -hile, as -e@ll discuss later in this cha!ter.
When using a s!ecial or ,agical -ea!on to !erfor, the Sa!, you do not "ount the
(eapon's atta"k or damage bonus/ Cou@re not using the -ea!on the -ay it is ,eant to be
usedI you@re hitting your target -ith the flat of the blade, -ith the hilt or !o,,el of the
-ea!on, etc. herefore, those bonuses don@t count for anything.
When !erfor,ed on a character -ho is aslee! or ,agically held, the Sa! ,aneuver
auto,atically hits. he chance for knockout goes u! to 07Q !er !oint of da,age done, u!
to 27Q. 8o-ever, if the subseEuent !ercentile die<roll is 20 or higher, the victi, is not
knocked outFhe@s been a-akened by the attack. MWhy try a Sa! ,aneuver on an already<
aslee! targetB Because you ,ay -ant to kidna! hi, or s,uggling hi, out of a cell and
can@t risk hi, -aking u! and alerting the guards.N
he Sa! ,aneuver can only be !erfor,ed -ith ,elee -ea!ons or bare handsI it cannot
be !erfor,ed -ith ,issile -ea!ons.
he Sa! ,aneuver is usable only on S,all MSN or )ediu, M)N ,onstersI it -ill not
-ork on Large MLN or bigger ,onsters such as dragons. hey Dust can@t be knocked out
-ith this ,aneuver.
S$ield,Pn($
he shield<!unch is a very basic ,aneuver. +f you are using a buckler, s,all shield, or
,ediu, shield, you can use it to attack -ith as -ell as defend, by sla,,ing it into your
target@s body.
When your turn to attack co,es, si,!ly announce that you@re shield<!unching and
,ake your attack roll. Cou get no attack bonus fro, the shield, regardless of its si"e or
,agical enchant,ent.
A shield<!unch does 0=9 da,age, !lus your Strength bonus. &nce you have !erfor,ed
a shield<!unch, you lose the AC bonus of the shield for the rest of the co,bat round fro,
no- until your ne5t attack. M+f you have an attack later in the round, you regain the AC
bonus thenI if you don@t have an attack until ne5t round, you regain the AC bonus at the
very start of the ne5t round.N
his is a good ,aneuver to !erfor, -hen you@ve dro!!ed your -ea!on, as it -ill do
so,e-hat ,ore da,age than a barehanded attack.
S$ield,Rs$
his ,aneuver is like a co,bination of the *ullJri! and Shield<*unch ,aneuvers.
he attacker ,ust start at least 07 feet a-ay fro, the victi,, and ,ust have either a
,ediu, or body shield. Basically, he runs at full s!eed u! to his victi,, sla,,ing full<tilt
into hi,, ho!ing to inDure hi, or knock hi, do-n.
As -ith the Shield<*unch, the attacker gets no bonus to attack rolls fro, the shield,
nor does he get the AC bonus of his shield fro, the ti,e he starts the ,aneuver until his
ne5t attack.
+f he hits, he does da,age eEual to the Shield<*unch, and the target ,ust ,ake a 0d67
roll against De5terity to stay on his feet. he target a!!lies these ,odifiers to his
De5terityH
P9 arget Was )oving o-ard Attacker
P9 arget Was #ot )oving
=9 arget 8it Aro, Behind
=9 arget Was $na-are of Attack
As you can see, it@s ,ore reliable a knockdo-n than the *ullJri!.
8o-ever, the attacker also has a chance to be knocked do-n.
+f he ,isses his roll to attack, he sla,s into the target any-ay, and does no da,age to
his target. 8e ,ust ,ake his De5terity ability check at a =O !enaltyI if he ,akes it, he is
still standing, but if he fails it, he is knocked do-n. Either -ay, his target re,ains standing.
Even if he succeeds in his attack roll, he still has a chance to fall do-n. he attacker
rolls 0d67 against his o-n, unadDusted De5terity. +f he fails it, he falls do-n, too.
Strike6#$rst
his is the basic co,bat ,aneuver, and is included here Dust for co,!leteness.
With the StrikeJhrust ,aneuver, the attacker uses the -ea!on he has in hand and
strikes, s-ings, or thrusts it at the intended victi,. +f it hits, the attack does the da,age
a!!ro!riate to the -ea!on and the attacker@s Strength bonus.
LStrikingL -ith a )issile Wea!on or hro-n Wea!on constitutes firing itJthro-ing it at
your target. $sually, you Dust say LShootL instead of LStrikeL -hen announcing your
,aneuver.
Sr!rise and %las$ /ane.ers
All of these ,aneuvers, and the ,any !ossibilities they !rovide for characters to
custo,i"e their fighting styles, should give you the idea that the D) should be
encouraging -ild, e5travagant, interesting ,aneuvers and styles in co,bat. his is a lot
,ore entertaining than ordinary, !lodding s-ing vs. s-ing co,bat.
herefore, the D) should re-ard intelligent, creative efforts in co,bat by granting
the, bonuses to attack rolls and da,age.
E5a,!lesH
A lightly$armored hero (ith the A"robati"s non(eapon pro)i"ien"y "ould "harge a
)oe. then use his A"robati"s to )lip o*er him and strike him )rom the rear0 the DM might
gi*e him a bonus to atta"k rolls in addition to striking at a part o) the target's body that
is unprote"ted by a shield/
A "rossbo(man "ould use a Called :hot against the rope holding the "handelier.
"ausing the "handelier to "ome "rashing do(n onto the *illain's head0 instead o)
su))ering a massi*e atta"k penalty )or su"h a preposterous shot. the DM might gi*e the
player an atta"k bonus )or the surprise *alue o) the atta"k. plus a per"entage "hange )or
kno"kout. as per the Atta"king %ithout &illing se"tion o) the Player's Handbook/
A s(ashbu"kler running up a )light o) stairs (ith guardsmen in hot pursuit "ould
tumble a sta"k o) "asks do(n the stairs behind him0 the DM "ould gi*e him a PullKTrip
maneu*er against ea"h one o) those guardsmen. and e*en an impro*ed "han"e to atta"k
rolls. )or attempting this "lassi" mo*e/
&n the other hand, a !layer ,ight co,e u! -ith a !lan or ,aneuver that is ,erely
foolish or abusive to the ca,!aign. he D) can assign such a ,aneuver ,inuses to attack
rolls and da,age.
!'amples-
#athnar's player de"ides that i) #athnar makes )a"es at an or" he is )ighting. then the
or" (ill be"ome spooked and run a(ay/ %hen #athnar attempts this. the or" pro"eeds to
make )a"es right ba"k at him. then begins the pro"ess o) "utting #athnar to ribbons/
,ater. a)ter some time at the healer's guild. #athnar is in better armor and is in dire
"ombat (ith another or"/ #athnar de"ides that he'll tu"k and roll bet(een the or"'s legs.
stand up behind him. and "lea*e him in t(ain )rom behind/ Ho(e*er. his player has
)ailed to "onsider that #athnar is in bulky plate mail and kno(s nothing about
a"robati"s/ The DM assigns #athnar a sti)) penalty to his De'terity roll (hen #athnar
tries the maneu*er/ #athnar ends up )lat on his ba"k. banging against the or"'s legs (ith
the or" looming o*er him. and the DM assigns the or" a bonus to atta"k rolls #athnar
be"ause o) the hero's "lumsy position/
Don't Say No= Deter"ine Di))i(lty
A good rule of thu,b to use, -hen a !layer<character tries so,ething strange or daring
in co,bat, is thisH Don@t say no to his !ro!osalI Dust deter,ine the difficulty of the
,aneuver in your head, give hi, a general idea of that difficulty, and let hi, try it.
An easy -ay to do that is arbitrarily to assign a Ldifficulty nu,berL of 0 to 07 to any
s!ecial ,aneuver. hen, have the character roll against -hichever of his abilities MStrength,
De5terity, etc.N that see,s ,ost closely to !ertain to the task . . . and subtract that
difficulty nu,ber fro, his ability. +f he succeeds in rolling eEual to or less than his
,odified ability, he has succeeded in his task.
!'ample- Drusilla (ants to try the same maneu*er #athnar (as going to pull/ :he.
too. has no a"robati" training. but is in light leather armor/ The DM thinks that this (ill
be pretty di))i"ult )or her 3though not as di))i"ult as it (as )or #athnar5. and assigns the
maneu*er a di))i"ulty )a"tor o) 9 i) she lea*es her spear behind/ +t'll be an B. i) she tries
to take her spear along on the maneu*er/ He tells Drusilla's player that it is di))i"ult but
possible. though it (ill be nearly impossible i) she uses her spear/ #elu"tantly. she drops
the spear and pulls out a short s(ord be)ore attempting the maneu*er/
Her De'terity s"ore is 6A0 (ith the >9 penalty. it's modi)ied to an B/ ?n her "ombat
a"tion. she attempts the maneu*er. and rolls 6d7 against her modi)ied De'/ :he rolls an
B. and a"hie*es it e'a"tly0 Drusilla rolls bet(een the or"'s legs. stands up behind him.
and dri*es the short s(ord home be)ore he kno(s (hat hit him/ The DM gi*es her an
arbitrary =C to atta"k rolls )or the surprise *alue o) the maneu*er/
:omeone (ith A"robati"s non(eapon pro)i"ien"y might be able to per)orm that same
tu"k$and$roll (ith no penalty. or (ith a penalty di"tated only by the type o) armor he is
(earing/ :ee the 4Armor Modi)iers )or %restling Table4 on page G8 o) the *layer@s
8andbook0 those modi)iers (ould (ork e<ually (ell in this situation/
Another thing to do -hen a ,aneuver -ill !robably -ork auto,atically if the intended
target doesn@t see it co,ing, is to assign a difficulty nu,ber to the target@s chance of seeing
it. his difficulty could be a !enalty or a bonus, de!ending on ho- obvious the ,aneuver
is, and so could be fro, 0 to 07 in either direction. he D) -ould have the intended
target roll 0d67 against his ,odified +ntelligence, and if he rolled eEual to or less than that
nu,ber, he@d see the ,aneuver co,ing and be able to avoid it. +f he failed, the D) could
give the attacker ordinary chances of success, or even ,ake the attack an auto,atic
success.
!'ample- Amstard is in a street bra(l (ith a big brute o) a (arrior0 they'*e been
pun"hing the daylights out o) one another. and Amstard has 2ust been kno"ked do(n/ His
player announ"es that he's trying a "lassi" tri"k- He'll in"onspi"uously pi"k up a hand)ul
o) sand and. as he's rising to return to the )ight. he'll dash the sand into his opponent's
)a"e. blinding him/
That's a reasonable tri"k to try/ The DM de"ides that the brute's "han"e to )igure out
Amstard's maneu*er is dire"tly proportional to Amstard's )inesse in s"ooping up the sand/
He tells Amstard to roll against his De'terity. unmodi)ied. (hen pi"king up the sand@
and the number he makes his roll by (ill be the brute's di))i"ulty number in seeing it
"oming/
Amstard's De'terity is 6A/ He rolls a 67 on 6d7. making it by A/ The brute's
+ntelligen"e is 670 (ith the di))i"ulty o) A. his modi)ied +ntelligen"e is 8/ :e"retly. the DM
rolls 6d7 )or the brute. a"hie*ing an B0 the brute doesn't see the maneu*er "oming/ 1ut
Amstard's player "an't be told that until Amstard is "ommitted to his maneu*er/
Amstard no( thro(s the sand0 this "ounts as an atta"k/ The DM gi*es him an
ordinary atta"k roll to su""eed/ Amstard su""ess)ully hits *s/ the brute's AC. and no( the
brute is temporarily blinded / / /
hat@s ho- the thought !rocess -orks, any-ay. he !layers should have the
o!!ortunity to try Dust about any ,aneuver or a!!roach they can i,agine, and the D)
should figure out ho- likely each try is of success. Eothing should be impossible to try
2ust be"ause it isn't spe"i)i"ally "o*ered in the rules/
/ane.ers 'n t$e Ca"!ai&n
All of the above ,aneuvers and a!!roaches can be used in any AD&D ga,e
ca,!aign. here are a cou!le of things you should reali"e about the,.
Airst, they@ll add a lot of richness of detail to your co,bat. $sing the,, you can do Dust
about everything in co,bat that you can i,agine your character doing. 8o-ever, the fli!<
side of that benefit is that it adds a level of co,!le5ity to your co,batI the !layers and
D) have to do ,ore thinking about individual ,aneuvers and co,bat situations.
herefore, -e don@t reco,,end you use these ,aneuvers until you already have a fir,
gras! on the co,bat syste,, and can run basic co,bats -ith little or no difficulty.
Second, they@ll allo- the !layer<characters to be ,ore colorful and efficient in co,bat.
But the fli!<side of this benefit is that the #*Cs and ,onsters can be eEually colorful and
efficient. +t -ill be a rude a-akening for the !layer<characters -hen they run across a band
of evil fighters as diverse and acco,!lished as they are.
Pn($in&< *restlin&< and /artial Arts
*unching and -restling are described in the Player's Handbook, !age 1;<12. We@ll
elaborate a little on those rules here, and introduce rules for basic &riental<style ,artial
arts ,aneuvers.
S!e(iali9in& *it$ Pn($in& and *restlin&
hough everyone has a certain kno-ledge of !unching and -restling, so that everyone
can be considered to have a L-ea!on !roficiencyL you can no- S!eciali"e in either of the
t-o techniEues.
o S!eciali"e, you ,ust devote a -ea!on !roficiency slot to the techniEue. Any
character of any class can S!eciali"e in *unching or Wrestling Mor )artial Arts, described
laterN . . . but e5ce!t for the Aighting<)onk Mdescribed in The Complete Priest's
Handbook, no character other than a single<class Warrior can ever s!eciali"e in ,ore than
one of these techniEues. A single<class Warrior can end u! s!eciali"ing in both, but ,ay
begin !lay s!eciali"ing in only one of the,.
S!eciali"ation does not count as a Wea!on S!eciali"ation. A first<level fighter could
s!eciali"e in both Long S-ord and *unching if he -ished to. A (ogue, -ho cannot take
any Wea!on S!eciali"ation, can still take one unar,ed fighting style s!eciali"ation.
Aighting style s!eciali"ations Mi.e., Single<Wea!on, -o<8ander, etc.N do not grant any
bonuses to *unching, Wrestling, or )artial Arts co,bat. hey@re of use only to co,bat
-ith ,elee -ea!ons.
Nor"al Pn($in& Atta(ks
(evie- the *unch rules fro, the Player's Handbook, !age 12. (e,e,ber that a
nor,al !unch does 0=6 da,age M!lus Strength bonusN, and a !unch -ith a ,etal gauntlet
does 0=9 M!lus Strength bonusN, and that ;:Q of all !unching da,age is temporary, and
-ears off -ithin ,inutes after the co,bat is included.
A character can !ull his !unch, so that he does no da,age, or only his !unch da,age
M-ithout his Strength bonusN.
Pn($in& S!e(iali9ation
+f a character s!ends one Wea!on *roficiency on *unching, thus taking s!eciali"ation
-ith *unching, he gains the follo-ing benefitsH
8e gains a P0 bonus to all his attack rolls -hen !unchingI
8e gains a P0 bonus to all da,age -hen !unchingI
8e gains a P0 "hart bonus -ith all !unching attacksI
8e gains one additional !unching attack !er co,bat round Mboth hands ,ust be free,
holding nothing, for the character to gain this benefitNI and
+f the character -ishes, -hen he !ulls his !unch, he can also refuse to do the P6
da,age that s!eciali"ation gives hi,.
he chart bonus is a reflection of the character@s su!erior accuracy -ith !unching. As
you already kno-, -hen the character successfully hits, the roll itself deter,ines -hich
,aneuver -as ,adeI you use the chart on !age 1; in the Player's Handbook, and the
attack roll also deter,ines the ,aneuver used.
But on a successful hit, the !unching s!ecialist can ,odify that result. +f he has a "hart
bonus of P0, he can choose the ,aneuver one higher or one lo-er on the chart.
!'ample- :ir Amstard pun"hes a troll/ 3He's re"klessly bra*e. a)ter all/5 He rolls a 6
to atta"k rolls. and this turns out to be a su""ess)ul hit/ ?n the 4Pun"hing and %restling
#esults4 "hart. (e see that this is a &idney Pun"h. doing 6 point o) damage. (ith a 9L
"han"e )or kno"kout/ 1ut Amstard is a Pun"hing :pe"ialist (ith a "hart bonus o) =6/ He
"an "hoose instead )or the result to be an 66$Hook 3doing points o) damage and (ith a
GL "han"e )or kno"kout5. or a 6A$Hook 3doing points o) damage and (ith a 67L
"han"e )or a kno"kout5/ He "hanges the maneu*er )rom a &idney Pun"h to a 6A$Hook/
&nly if a character s!eciali"es in !unching and thus has a chart bonus can he affect his
!unch results in this ,anner.
A character using a Cestus does get to add the bonuses to attack rolls and da,age
fro, *unching S!eciali"ation to his Cestus da,age. +f he has s!eciali"ed in Cestus too, he
can decide fro, round to round -hich of his bonuses he -ill a!!ly this round.
Additionally, you ,ay use the Cestus attack@s attack roll to deter,ine -hich *unching
,aneuver -as used -ith the attackI you still use the da,age for the Cestus instead of the
,aneuver, but no- also have the !ossibility of a knockout. his can ,ake co,bats -ith
cesti a little ,ore co,!licated, so the D) ,ay disallo- this rule if he chooses.
+t is !ossible for a Warrior to continue to i,!rove his *unching abilitiesH See
LContinuing S!eciali"ation,L belo-.
Nor"al *restlin& Atta(ks
(evie- the Wrestling rules fro, the Player's Handbook. !age 12. Each successful
-restling ,ove does 0 !oint of da,age M!lus Strength bonus, if the attacker desiresNI a
continued hold causes cu,ulatively 0 ,ore !oint of da,age each round than the round
before.
+n Wrestling co,bat, -hen t-o characters are -restling, each rolls to attack rolls the
otherFusing nor,al attack rolls against the o!!onent@s AC, and utili"ing the LAr,or
)odifiers Aor WrestlingL table on !age 1; of the Player's Handbook for ,odifiers to
attack rolls.
+n a single co,bat round, a character can !erfor, Wrestling on the other character,
-ith the nor,al results fro, the *unching and Wrestling (esults table fro, that sa,e
!age. &n Wrestle results fro, that table -hich are ,arked -ith an asterisk MGN, the
attacker, if successful, can ,aintain that hold until it@s brokenI use the Strength<roll rules
described above for the L%rabL ,aneuver to deter,ine -hen holds are broken.
A character can !ull -restling da,ageI he can do no da,age, or the 0 !oint associated
-ith each successful ,aneuver, or the 0 !oint !lus Strength bonus allo-ed to hi,,
-hichever he chooses.
As -ith !unching da,age, -restling da,age is also te,!orary.
*restlin& S!e(iali9ation
+f a character s!ends one Wea!on *roficiency Slot on Wrestling, and thus s!eciali"es
-ith Wrestling, he gains the follo-ing benefitsH
8e gains a P0 bonus to all his attack rolls -ith WrestlingI
8e gains a P0 bonus to all da,age -ith Wrestling Mthat is, all his ,aneuvers -ill do 6
!oints of da,age !lus his Strength bonus, and continued holds cause cu,ulatively 0 ,ore
!oint of da,age for each round they are heldNI
8e gains a P0 chart bonus -ith all Wrestling attacksI
8e gains a P6 to Strength, only for ,aintaining a -restling hold Mi.e., a Strength 0:
character rolls against Strength 0; -hen ,aintaining a -restling hold, but only for that
!ur!oseNI and
When he chooses to !ull -restling da,age, the character ,ay also !ull the P6 to
da,age granted by s!eciali"ation.
So if, for instance, he has a P0 chart bonus, and rolls a 0O on his attack MElbo-
S,ashN, he can instead choose a ri! or an Ar, Lock. 8e@ll decide based on his current
situationH +f it@s in his best interest to !ut his o!!onent on the ground, he@ll choose a ri!,
and if it@s better for hi, to have a ,aneuver that allo-s hi, to hold onto his o!!onent
fro, round to round, he@ll choose an Ar, Lock.
+t is !ossible for a Warrior to continue to i,!rove his Wrestling abilitiesH See
LContinuing S!eciali"ation,L belo-.
/artial Arts
As you sa- in the Player's Handbook, everybody kno-s ho- to !unch and -restle.
)artial Arts, ho-ever, are another ,atter. #ot every character in a nor,al ,edieval<
style ca,!aign -ill kno- ho- to utili"e oriental<style )artial Arts.
he )artial Arts described in this section aren@t any real<-orld fighting styleI they@re a
co,bination of LgenericL ,artial<arts ,aneuvers in the tradition of ,artial<arts ,ovies.
hese )artial Arts are only available in a ca,!aign if the D) decides that the art is
available for characters to learn. 8e ,ust first decide if he -ants characters to be able to
use these ,aneuvers in his ca,!aign, -hich -ill tend to give the ca,!aign a ,ore oriental
flavorI then, if he -ishes to use the,, he needs to establish a history for these co,bat
abilities. Custo,arily, they@ve been develo!ed by so,e distant civili"ation, and recent trade
-ith that culture has brought so,e !ractitioners and teachers of the art to the !layer<
characters@ society.
o learn )artial Arts at its basic level, the character s!ends one Wea!on *roficiency
slot on )artial Arts. &nce he has s!ent that slot, he can use )artial Arts in the sa,e -ay
that other !eo!le use *unching and Wrestling, as -e@ll describe i,,ediately belo-.
/artial Arts Reslts
At its basic level, )artial Arts skill is used Dust like *unching and Wrestling. )artial
Arts co,bat occurs -hen a character attacks -ith his bare hands, feet, and even head. #o
-ea!ons are used. MA character can hold a -ea!on in one hand and nothing in the other,
attacking -ith his -ea!on one round and -ith his )artial Arts skill in the ne5t.N
As -ith *unching, da,age fro, )artial Arts is handled in a slightly different fashion.
he da,age fro, any bare<handed )artial Arts attack is broken into t-o !artsH 6:Q of
the da,age fro, the attack is nor,al da,age, -hile the re,aining ;:Q is Lte,!oraryL
da,age. he Player's Handbook !age 12, discusses this te,!orary da,age, as does this
cha!ter, in the section on L(ecovery,L belo-.
When attacking -ith )artial Arts skill, the character ,akes a nor,al attack roll
against the nor,al Ar,or Class of the target. M+f the attacking character has ar,or on, he
does suffer the ,odifiers for -restling fro, the LAr,or )odifiers for WrestlingL fro,
able :; on !age 1; in the Player's Handbook.N +f he hits, he does the da,age listed fro,
the ,aneuver !lus any bonus fro, his Strength score.
+f the attack roll is successful, the attacker consults the table belo- for the result of the
attack. +f, for instance, the character rolls a 09 on his attack roll, the result is a Body<
*unch, doing 0 !oint of da,age M!lus the attacker@s Strength bonus for da,ageN.
/artial Arts Reslts #able
Atta(k /artial Arts >
Roll /ane.er D"& +O
67P 8ead *unch 9 0:
01 8igh 4ick 6 07
02 Vitals<4ick 6 2
0; Vitals<*unch 6 :
0O 8ead Bash 6 :
0: Side 4ick 0 9
03 Elbo- Shot 0 0
09 Body<*unch 0 6
06 Lo- 4ick 0 0
00 %ra"e 7 0
07 Body<*unch 0 6
1 Lo- 4ick 0 0
2 Body<*unch 0 6
; 4nee<Shot 0 9
O Side 4ick 0 :
: 8ead Bash 6 07
3 Vitals<*unch 6 07
9 Vitals<4ick 6 0:
6 8igh 4ick 6 67
0G 8ead *unch 9 97
G &r less
Des(ri!tions o) t$e /ane.ers

3ody,Pn($4 his is a straightfor-ard !unch into the target@s sto,ach or chest.
Elbo5 S$ot4 With this ,aneuver, the attacker !lants his elbo- into the target@s chest,
side, or sto,ach.
Gra9e4 his could have started out as any sort of ,aneuver, but it ,erely gra"ed the
targetI it -asn@t landed fir,ly.
;o5 +i(k4 he attacker kicks the target in the leg or thigh.
Head 3as$4 he attacker sla,s his forehead into the target@s face, -hich is a stout
,aneuver.
Head Pn($4 his is a good, strong blo- -ith the fist to the ene,y@s head,
!articularly his Da-.
Hi&$ +i(k4 he attacker kicks the target in the u!!er body so,e-hereH Sto,ach,
chest, back, or shoulder.
+nee,S$ot4 he attacker brings his knee u! into the target@s sto,ach or thigh.
Side +i(k4 With this ,aneuver, the attacker has ti,e to !re!are and launch a very
!o-erful side-ays kick M-hich ,ay be at the end of a cine,atic lea!N.
Vitals,+i(k4 he attacker kicks his target at so,e vulnerable !ointH %roin, kidney,
neck, solar !le5us, etc.
Vitals,Pn($4 he attacker !uts his fist into one of the vulnerable !oints ,entioned
i,,ediately above.
S!e(iali9in& in /artial Arts
he sa,e S!eciali"ing rules a!!ly to )artial ArtsH &nce the character has *roficiency
in )artial Arts Mby s!ending one Wea!on *roficiency slotN, he can S!eciali"e in it Mby
s!ending anotherN.
When the character beco,es a )artial Arts S!ecialist, he gains the follo-ing benefitsH
8e gains a P0 bonus to all his attack rolls -ith )artial ArtsI
8e gains a P0 bonus to all da,age -ith )artial ArtsI
8e gains a P0 chart bonus -ith all )artial Arts attacksI
8e gains one additional )artial Arts attack !er co,bat round Mboth hands ,ust be
free, holding nothing, for the character to gain this benefitNI and
8e ,ay !ull his attack Dust as *unching and Wrestling characters do, and -hen he !ulls
his attack, he can also refuse to do the P0 da,age that S!eciali"ation gives hi,.
So if he rolls a 0: to attack, and the attack hits, he has !erfor,ed a Side 4ick. +f he
uses his P0 chart bonus, he can change that into an Elbo- Shot or a 8ead Bash. 8e@ll
!robably choose to change it to a 8ead Bash for the i,!roved da,age and i,!roved
chance of knockout.
+t is !ossible for a Warrior to continue to i,!rove his )artial Arts abilitiesH See
LContinuing S!eciali"ation,L belo-.
/ore #$an One Style
Any character can s!eciali"e in one of the three ty!es of unar,ed co,bat M*unching,
Wrestling, and )artial ArtsN.
A single<class Warrior can only s!eciali"e in one of the three unar,ed co,bat styles
-hen he is first created. After first level, ho-ever, he ,ay s!eciali"e in the other t-o. 8e
can take s!eciali"ation in only one style each ti,e he receives a ne- Wea!on *roficiency,
so he could not !ossibly be a s!ecialist in all three until he reaches si5th e5!erience level . .
. and ninth level is ,ore likely.
$sually, the character, if he -ants to s!eciali"e in ,ore than one style, -ill take either
)artial Arts or *unching, not both, because their usefulness overla!s a great dealI and
then he@ll take Wrestling, because Wrestling is useful -hen the character is being gra!!led.
Continin& S!e(iali9ation
his is an o!tion that is only available to single<class Warriors Mand to Aighting<)onks
fro, The Complete Priest's HandbookN.
+f the -arrior continues to devote Wea!on *roficiency slots to an unar,ed co,bat
style a)ter he is already spe"ialiHing in it, he gets the follo-ing benefits. #oteH he
character ,ay not take ,ore than basic S!eciali"ation in any of the arts at first e5!erience
levelI thus, at first level, he ,ay devote one slot to *unching, or one slot to Wrestling, or
t-o slots to )artial Arts, but not ,ore than that to any of the,. At third level, -hen he
receives another slot, he ,ay devote it then to i,!rove his S!eciali"ation.
Aor each additional slot devoted to his artH
8e gains a P0 bonus to all his attack rolls -ith his co,bat styleI
8e gains a P0 bonus to all da,age -ith his co,bat styleI and
8e gains a P0 chart bonus -ith all attacks in that co,bat style. With chart bonuses of
P6 or ,ore, the character can choose any ,aneuver -ithin the range of ,aneuvers
covered by his chart bonus Msee the e5a,!le belo-N.
!'ample- Cassius the Gladiator is a Pun"hing :pe"ialist/ He :pe"ialiHed in Pun"hing
at )irst le*el. put another %eapon Pro)i"ien"y slot into it at third le*el. another at si'th.
and still another at ninth/
At ninth le*el. he has a =A bonus to atta"k rolls (ith Pun"hing. a =A to damage rolls
(ith Pun"hing. and a =A "hart bonus/
,et's say he rolls a 6F to hit someone. and that the atta"k does hit/ This (ould
normally be a Glan"ing 1lo(/ 1ut he has a =A "hart bonus/ He "an "hoose )or the
maneu*er. instead o) 2ust being a rolled result o) 6F. to be any(here )rom 6G to 6A/ He
"an "hoose )or the maneu*er to be a %ild :(ing. a #abbit Pun"h. a &idney Pun"h. a
Glan"ing 1lo( 3as rolled5. a Jab. an Mpper"ut. or a Hook/
?) these se*en maneu*ers. Jab and Hook do the most damage. and Hook has a
slightly higher "han"e o) kno"kout su""ess. so he "hooses it/ %ith his pun"h. he (ill do a
basi" points )or the maneu*er. =A points )rom the damage bonus he gets )or
spe"ialiHing. and any bonus his :trength gi*es him/
#$e Co"!lete /artial Artist
+f you -ish to create a character -ho is !rinci!ally a )artial Artist, you ought to take
other Wea!on and #on-ea!on *roficiencies -hich are a!!ro!riate to the classic ,artial<
arts hero.
Al,ost all Wea!on *roficiencies are a!!ro!riate for the character, including all
s-ords, bo-s, and !olear,s, and es!ecially !roficiencies -ith the Sa,urai -ea!ons fro,
the !<uipment cha!ter of this book.
#on-ea!on *roficiencies -hich are es!ecially a!!ro!riate includeH M%eneralN Dancing,
Direction Sense, MWarriorN Blind<fighting, Endurance, (unning, M(ogue, double slotsN
Ju,!ing, ightro!e Walking, and u,bling.
+n ca,!aigns -ith ,ore classical and oriental ele,ents to the ,artial artists,
#on-ea!on *roficiencies such as M%eneralN Artistic Ability, M*riest, double slots unless
*aladinN Ancient 8istory, Astrology, 8ealing, 8erbalis,, Local 8istory, )usical
+nstru,ent, (eadingJWriting, (eligion, MWi"ard, double slots unless (angerN Ancient
8istory, Astrology, 8erbalis,, (eadingJWriting, (eligion.
Aighting Style S!eciali"ations, fro, this cha!ter, are also very a!!ro!riate for the
character.
#aturally, you -on@t be able to afford all these things for your )artial Artist character,
even if your D) does allo- you the +ntelligence bonus for e5tra *roficiencies ,entioned
earlier in this cha!ter. hink not about having all these abilities, but about taking s!ecific
abilities to ,ake the character uniEue, different fro, all the other *CsFeven if they, too,
are !rinci!ally )artial Artists.
Aor instance, one character could be a *aladinJS-ashbuckler -ho takes Wea!on
*roficiency -ith all Aencing Blades Mt-o slotsN, S!eciali"ation -ith the Sabre Mone slotN,
and S!eciali"ation -ith *unching Mone slotN. Another character could be a (angerJBeast<
(ider -ho takes Wea!on *roficiency -ith all Bo-s Mt-o slotsN and *roficiency and
S!eciali"ation -ith )artial Arts Mt-o slotsN. his -ay, no t-o )artial Artists are likely to
be even remotely alike.
'n Oriental Ca"!ai&ns
+f your ca,!aign is based in an oriental setting, you need to ,ake an easy change.
+nstead of nor,al !roficiency -ith *unching and Wrestling being free, and !roficiency
-ith )artial Arts costing one slot, nor,al !roficiency -ith )artial Arts is free, -hile
!roficiency -ith *unching and Wrestling cost one slot each.
3are$anded /ane.ers
+t@s !ossible to use ,ost of the ,aneuvers described above under UU)elee )aneuvers@@
-hen fighting barehanded, either *unching, Wrestling, or )artial Arts.
When a character -ishes to !erfor, a ,aneuver that@s not one of the standard
,aneuvers for the barehanded fighting style in Euestion, he ,akes that announce,ent at
the a!!ro!riate ti,e in the co,bat seEuence Mthat is, if it@s a Called Shot of so,e sort, he
announces before initiativeI other-ise, he ,akes the announce,ent -hen he@s called on for
the descri!tion of his action for the roundN.
When his turn co,es u!, he rolls an attack roll. +f he@s s!eciali"ed in a barehanded
fighting style, he still gets the attack bonus for his S!eciali"ation. +f he hits, he doesn't do
one of the ,aneuvers fro, his fighting styleI he !erfor,s the s!ecific ,aneuver he elected.
8o-ever, if he@s a S!ecialist, he does get the da,age bonus fro, his fighting style.
8ere are e5a,!les of ho- this -orks -ith the s!ecific )elee )aneuversH
Called S$ots4 Pn($in& and /artial Arts
A *uncher or )artial Artist can !erfor, Called Shots, but none -ill do any e5tra
da,age. hey can be very effective in co,bat in very s!ecific situations if the character is
trying to !erfor, one of the standard Called ShotsH Striking a S!ecific Body *art Mas
,entioned earlier, to da,age a beholder@s s!ecial eye, for e5a,!leN, S,ashing So,ething
Being 8eld Mthough the attacker risks having the contents of -hatever he@s s,ashing
s!illed on hi,N, and By!assing Ar,or Magain, this only -orks on ,onsters -here the D)
has designed a s!ecific -eakness into the ,onsterN.
A *uncher or )artial Artist can also !erfor, a Called Shot to attack a s!ecific 8it
Location. See the te5t on L8it Locations,L belo-. his is the sort of attack the character
-ants to use if he@s trying to hit an ene,y in the Da- to knock hi, out, !ound hi, in the
solar !le5us to double hi, over, and so onI all nor,al rules for 8it Locations are used.
Called S$ots4 *restlin&
A Wrestler can take a Called Shot in order to choose the s!ecific Wrestle ,aneuver
result he -ants. +f he succeeds, he does not rando,ly roll the -restle ,aneuver -hich
takes !laceI he chooses it. his is of s!ecial usefulness -hen he@s trying to achieve a hold
result.
!'ample- A (restler de"ides to take a Called :hot/ 1e)ore initiati*e is rolled. he
announ"es that he's taking a Called :hot to a"hie*e the result o) Arm ,o"k/ He su))ers
the usual =6 to initiati*e0 (hen his turn "omes up. he su))ers a >C to atta"k rolls/ +) he
hits. the maneu*er result is Arm ,o"k. regardless o) the roll/
Also, -hen a fighter is -restling another character, he ,ight find it to his advantage to
,ake a Called Shot to !ull the ene,y@s hel,et do-n over his ene,y@s eyes, blinding hi,
for a co,bat round or t-o.
But, obviously, such successes de!end heavily on the good<-ill of the D). +f he thinks
such ,aneuvers are ,ore bother than color, don@t try to !erfor, the,.
Disar"
+t@s !ossible for a barehanded fighter to disar, an ar,ed o!!onent, but it@s dangerous.
When so trying, the barehanded fighter@s AC suffers a !enalty of 6 Mfor e5a,!le, a :
beco,es a ;I he@s having to e5!ose hi,self to attack brieflyN, and his Disar, atte,!t is at
an additional =3 to attack rolls. But if it hits, it@s Dust as successful as any other Disar,.
Grab
As described above, the %rab is designed for barehanded use, and so suffers no !enalty
-hen the attacker is barehanded.
Hold Atta(k
A barehanded fighter can hold his attack -ith no !enalty.
Parry
A barehanded fighter trying to !arry a barehanded attack does so at nor,al odds.
As -ith Disar,, it@s !ossible, but dangerous, for a barehanded fighter to !arry an
attack fro, a ,elee -ea!on. he *arrying character ,ust suffer an AC !enalty of 6 Mfor
the sa,e reasons described under Disar,, i,,ediately aboveN, and his AC stays
disadvantaged until his ne5t attack co,es u!. hen, -hen !erfor,ing the *arry M-hich
usually consists of getting so close to the ene,y that the *arrying character can get his
o-n hand under the descending -ea!on<handN, the *arrying character suffers an additional
=6 to attack rolls.
Pin
A barehanded character can@t use the *in ,aneuver to !in so,eone else@s bare hand.
$se the Wrestling rules for such an atte,!t.
A barehanded character can try to use *in to !in so,eone@s -ea!onI use the ,odifiers
described i,,ediately above for *arry.
Pll6#ri!
A barehanded character can try to *ullJri! another character -ith no additional
!enalty. Barehanded, the character can only ri! characters -ho are adDacent to hi,, and
cannot ri! any Large creature or ,onster.
Sa!
A barehanded Sa!!ing attack Mbasically, a !unch to the Da-N is a classic co,bat
,aneuver. +t can be !erfor,ed -ith *unching and )artial Arts, but not -ith Wrestling. As
-ith the regular Sa!, the barehanded fighter ,akes his Called Shot at an additional =3I if
he hits, he does nor,al da,age for his attack, and has the nor,al 4nockout chance of :Q
!er !oint of da,age done.
Bet-een the Sa! ,aneuver and the Called Shot for the 8ead 8it Location, the
character has t-o attacks that can hit an ene,y@s head. hey are very different, ho-ever,
and so they are not redundant.
he Sa! !rovides a chance for knockoutI the Called Shot to the 8ead doesn@t.
he Called Shot to the 8ead has several unusual !ossible results MBlindness,
4nockdo-n, etc.NI the Sa! doesn@t.
And the Called Shot to the 8ead can only be used if the D) allo-s 8it Locations in his
ca,!aign. +f he doesn@t, the Sa! is all you@re left -ith.
S$ield,Pn($
Since a Shield<*unch reEuires the use of a shield, a barehanded character obviously
cannot !erfor, this ,aneuver.
S$ield,Rs$
Since a Shield<(ush also reEuires the use of a shield, a barehanded character cannot
!erfor, this ,aneuver.
Strike6#$rst
When a barehanded character tries the StrikeJhrust ,aneuver, -e call it a L*unchL
and use the nor,al *unching rules.
Hit ;o(ations
We@ve said before that this -hole book consists of o!tional syste,s for your ca,!aignI
-ell, this 8it Locations syste, can be considered very o!tional.
he AD&D ga,e doesn@t encourage a hit locations syste,, for the reasons given in
the Dungeon Master Guide, !age ;6 ML+nDury and DeathLN. So,e of you still -ant one,
ho-ever, so in this section -e@re !resenting a 8it Locations syste, that allo-s you to
deter,ine individual inDuries . . . but stays true to the ga,e@s !hiloso!hy.
#$e ?N"bed? and ?Useless? N"bers
When using this syste,, the first thing to do is to calculate your character@s L#u,bedL
and L$selessL #u,bers.
Calculate 6:Q Mone<fourthN of your character@s hit !oint total Mdon@t count current
inDuriesI this is his starting hit !oint totalN. (ound u! if the fraction is .: or higher. &n
your character sheet, near the hit !oint listing, -rite do-n L#u,bedL and that nu,ber.
MCou can also use the Co,bat Sheet included at the end of this book.N +f the result -as 7,
-rite do-n 0 instead.
hen, calculate :7Q Mone<halfN of your character@s hit !oint total. (ound u! if the
fraction is .: or higher. &n your character sheet, also near the hit !oint listing Mor on this
cha!ter@s Co,bat SheetN, -rite do-n L$selessL and that nu,ber. +f the result -as 0, -rite
do-n 6 instead.
Whenever you go u! a level and gain ne- hit !oints, recalculate those nu,bers.
!'ample- Naross has 8 hit points/ His Eumbed number is F/89 3rounds up to 85. and
his Mseless number is 6A/9 3rounds up to 6C5/
3ody ;o(ations
#o-, -henever you conduct co,bat, do so nor,ally. And every nor,al blo- struck is
deducted fro, the character@s hit !oints nor,ally.
Every nor,al blo- struck Mthat is, every blo- not declared as ai,ed at a s!ecific Body
LocationN hits the character@s torso Mi.e., any !oint fro, his shoulders to his hi!sN.
8o-ever, if you take a Called Shot, you can ,ake your strike at any one of si5 other
Body Locations Mhead, t-o ar,s, t-o legs, and stun<!ointsN.
#$e ;o(ations
hese are the character@s Body LocationsH
#orso4 As described above. he orso is hit -ith any non<Called Shot.
Head4 )ust be hit -ith a Called Shot at an additional =3 to attack rolls.
Ar"s 0214 &ne right, one left. )ust be hit -ith a Called Shot.
;e&s 0214 &ne right, one left. )ust be hit -ith a Called Shot.
Stn,Points4 his rather broad category includes the solar !le5us and other nerve
centers -hich, -hen struck, tend to cause the victi, a lot of !ain. Stun<*oints ,ust be hit
-ith a Called Shot at an additional =3 to attack rolls.
General E))e(ts o) Called S$ots
#o-, -hen you take a Called Shot against one of those s!ecial locations, interesting
things can ha!!enH
+f the attack@s da,age eEualled or e5ceeded the victi,@s L#u,bedL nu,ber in a single
blo-, then that location is #u,bed. +t is useless for the rest of this co,bat round. At the
start of the ne5t round, before initiative is rolled, the character recovers full use of that
body !art.
+f the attack@s da,age eEualled or e5ceeded the victi,@s L$selessL nu,ber in a single
blo-, then that location is inDured, and is $seless for the rest of the fight. &nce the fight is
over Mi.e., one side or the other is defeated, surrendered, or de!arted, or the t-o sides are
no- at !eaceN, the character recovers use of the inDured body !art in 6dO ,inutesFor
i,,ediately u!on its being ,agically healed u! to the L#u,bedL nu,ber or better.
Aor these effects to take !lace, re,e,ber that the attack ,ust have done the reEuired
a,ount of da,age in a single blo(I ,ulti!le blo-s don@t add together for this !ur!ose.
Da,age fro, *unching, Wrestling, and )artial Arts can also cause body !arts to
beco,e #u,bed and $seless.
A Sa! attack Mdescribed above under L)elee )aneuversLN, regardless of ho- ,uch
da,age it does, does not achieve the #u,bed or $seless results. hat ,aneuver atte,!ts
an instant knockoutI if the knockout fails, the victi, takes only the da,age done by the
attack and none of the s!ecial body locations results described here.
S!e(i)i( E))e(ts o) Called S$ots
Cou ,ay be asking yourself, LAiguring out -hat a useless ar, is all about is !retty
easyI but -hat do they ,ean -hen your head is uselessBL
Avoiding the nor,al -isecracks that -ould result fro, such a straight line, let@s talk
about the actual effects of this LuselessnessL for each of the hit locations.
#orso4 he torso doesn@t beco,e uselessI the L#u,bedL and L$selessL nu,bers have
no bearing on it.
Head4 When a character takes a #u,bed or $seless result to his head, one of the
follo-ing effects can take !lace. he D), not the !layer, chooses -hich one. 8e can
rando,<roll on 0dO, or Dust choose the one that he fancies ,ost.
365 1lindness- he character is blinded Mfro, the !ain, not inDury to his eyesN until the
#u,bness or $selessness ends. When a character is blind but still trying to defend hi,self,
anyone attacking hi, gets a bonus of P3 to attack rolls. M+f, for so,e reason, he is also
kneeling, sitting or flat on his back, the bonuses to attack rolls are cu,ulativeN.
35 Dea)ness- he character hears ringing in his ears until the #u,bness or
$selessness ends. he character suffers no co,bat !enalty, but cannot hear orders or
-arnings shouted at hi,.
3A5 DiHHiness- he character is concussed and di""y. 8e !erfor,s any De5terity ability
rolls -ith a !enalty of =3 until the #u,bness or $selessness ends. Anyti,e he is hit in
co,bat for ,ore than 6 !oints of da,age, he ,ust ,ake a De5terity ability check to avoid
falling do-n.
3C5 &no"kdo(n- he character is knocked flat on his backside by the blo-, but does
not suffer any additional ill effect. 8is head is not really #u,bed or $selessI as soon as he
stands u! again, the disadvantage for the 4nockdo-n goes a-ay.
M:N Blindness and Deafness.
MON Di""iness and 4nockdo-n.
Ar"s 0214 A #u,bed or $seless ar, cannot hold a -ea!onI the character i,,ediately
dro!s the -ea!on. he character -ill not dro! a shield stra!!ed to the ar,, but does not
get the AC benefit of the shield until his ar, recovers.
;e&s 0214 When a character@s leg is #u,bed or $seless, he ,ust i,,ediately ,ake a
0d67 roll against his De5terity. +f he rolls his De5terity or less, he re,ains standing Mon
one footNI other-ise, he flo!s to the ground Mand is considered sitting for !ur!oses of
striking at hi,N. 8is ,ove,ent dro!s to a fourth of -hat it should be until he recovers.
Every ti,e he is hit for ,ore than 6 !oints of da,age, he has to ,ake that sa,e 0d67 roll
against De5terity, and -ill fall do-n if he fails it. A Shield<(ush attack -ill automati"ally
knock this character to the ground.
Stn,Points4 When a character has taken a L#u,bedL or L$selessL attack result to a
stun<!oint, he has the -ind knocked out of hi, and has a hard ti,e defending hi,self. 8is
,ove,ent dro!s to half of -hat it should be until he recoversI and his attackers are at a
P6 to attack rolls hi, until he recovers. Mhis bonus is cu,ulative -ith other attacker
bonuses for blindness or bad !osition.N
Re(ordin& #$ese 'n@ries
+t@s si,!le to record these inDuries.
Cou don@t record the da,age se!arately. All the hit<!oint losses are a!!lied against the
character@s nor,al !ool of hit !oints, Dust as before.
&n the Co,bat Sheet !rovided at the end of this cha!ter, or on a scratch<sheet, you@ll
-ant to record any s!ecial co,bat results and ho- long they@re in effect. Aor e5a,!leH
L(ight ar, useless until co,bat over.L
'ndi.idal 'n@ries and Healin& /a&i(
When a character -ho has taken a $seless result is healed before the area recovers
naturally, then the healing ,agic is !resu,ed to heal the inDured region first. +f the ,agic
heals one<fourth of the character@s hit !oints, the $seless body !art is -orking fine again.
Per"anent and Cri!!lin& E))e(ts
his syste, does not su!!ort any !er,anent da,age or cri!!ling effects, in
accordance -ith the general AD&D ga,e !hiloso!hies.
/onsters and Hit ;o(ations
hese rules can be used for ,onsters, too, even those -ith e5tra li,bs and body !arts
Me5tra heads, -ings, tails, etc.N. As -ith hu,ans, it takes a L#u,bedL shot Mone<fourth the
,onster@s hit !oints in a single blo-N to nu,b an area for one round, and a L$selessL shot
Mone<half the ,onster@s hit !oints in a single blo-N to inca!acitate the body !art for an
entire fight.
(e,e,ber that the L$selessL nu,ber does not ,ean that the ,onster Mor characterN
has :7Q of its hit !oints invested in that body !artI if it did, a creature ,ight have ,ore
than 977Q of its o-n hit !ointsT he L#u,bedL and L$selessL nu,bers are Dust -ays to
deter,ine ho- ,uch da,age it takes to inca!acitate a certain body !art, and the hit !oint
da,age is al-ays a!!lied to the victi,@s nor,al hit !oint score.
#$is Syste" and ;o5,;e.el C$ara(ters
Lo-<level characters, -ith their s,all store of hit !oints, are co,!aratively easy to
hurt in this syste,. A character -ith 07 hit !oints has a #u,bing nu,ber of 9 and an
+nDuring nu,ber of :. 8o-ever, since these s!ecial da,age results are all te,!orary, and
add a certain a,ount of flavor to co,bats, you should have no difficulty using the, -ith
characters of any level.
8o-ever, don@t forget that all these s!ecial shots ,ust be Called Shots. hey don@t
co,e about because of rando, die<rolls.
Re(o.ery
Cou already kno- ho- fast characters recover the use of da,aged 8it Locations -hen
those locations are $selessH +t takes only 6dO ,inutes.
But there are a cou!le of other ty!es of recovery -hich need so,e elaboration.
Re(o.ery O) #e"!orary Da"a&e
As you kno-, da,age fro, *unching, )artial Arts, and the Sa! ,aneuver is 6:Q
nor,al and ;:Q te,!orary.
his ,eans, -henever a character is sustaining da,age fro, one of these attacks, he
,ust calculate -hich !ortion of it is nor,al, L!er,anentL da,age, -hich ,ust be healed
by ,agic or by ,edicine, and -hich !ortion is te,!orary, -hich -ill -ear off after a
-hile.
Re(ordin& #e"!orary Da"a&e
$sually, it@s too ,uch trouble to calculate !ro!ortions on every attack you sustain.
+nstead, kee! a se!arate track of all da,age you receive in a single co,bat fro, *unching,
)artial Arts, and Sa! attacks. When the co,bat is over, divide the, u! into #or,al and
e,!orary da,age. When you have a fraction of .: Mor lessN on the #or,al Da,age
result, round do-nI all the rest of the da,age is e,!orary da,age.
!'ample- :ir Amstard is in a bo'ing mat"h (ith the de*astating Cassius. and is
getting the (orst o) it/ He takes one shot )or 9 points o) damage. another )or F. and
another )or A. and on this third shot Cassius su""ess)ully rolls his &no"kout per"entage/
Amstard is kno"ked out/
Amstard has sustained a total o) 6C points o) damage/ ?ne$)ourth. or 9L. o) that is
Eormal Damage/ That's A/9. (hi"h (e round do(n to A/ He's taken A points o) Eormal
Damage/ The remaining 66 points are Temporary damage/
Re(o.erin& %ro" #e"!orary Da"a&e
A character recovers fro, e,!orary Da,age at a rate of 0 hit !oint every five
,inutes. +f e,!orary Da,age has caused a character to go unconscious, he@ll recover
consciousness -hen he returns to 0 hit !oint or ,ore.
!'ample- Amstard. abo*e. took 66 points o) damage be)ore he (as kno"ked out/ He'll
re"o*er one point o) damage e*ery 9 minutes/ A)ter 99 minutes. he'll be as healthy as he
"an be until his Eormal Damage is also healed up/ Ho(e*er. sin"e it (asn't the
Temporary Damage he took that kno"ked him out. but a &no"kout result )rom a Pun"hing
atta"k. he (on't (ake up )rom re"o*ery o) Temporary Damage0 re"o*ery )rom &no"kout
is handled di))erently/
/a&i(al Healin& and #e"!orary Da"a&e
When a character -ho has sustained both #or,al and e,!orary da,age receives
,agical healing, the healing s!ell )irst heals the #or,al MrealN Da,age. +f it heals all the
#or,al Da,age, it then goes to -ork on the e,!orary Da,age.
!'ample- ,et us say Amstard re"ei*es a "ure light (ounds spell immediately a)ter
being kno"ked out/ The priest rolls a F on 6dB/ The )irst three points o) healing "ure his
three points o) Eormal Damage/ The remaining three are applied to his Temporary
Damage/ %hen that's all done. Amstard is do(n 7 points o) Eormal Damage and B points
o) Temporary Damage/
Re(o.ery %ro" +no(kot
A 4nockout result can be reached fro, *unching and )artial Arts attacks and fro,
the Sa! ,aneuver.
When a character is knocked out, he ,ust i,,ediately ,ake a Syste, Shock
!ercentile roll Msee Lable 9H Constitution,L in the Player's Handbook. *age 0:.N +f he
,akes the roll, he -ill a-aken in 6dO ,inutes. +f he fails the roll, he -ill a-aken in 6dO
hours.
#e"!orary Da"a&e and +no(kot
+f a character sustained enough e,!orary Da,age to render hi, unconscious in the
same blo( as he suffered a 4nockout, he doesn@t -ake u! until conditions for recovery of
both the e,!orary Da,age and the 4nockout are ,et.
!'ample- +n a remat"h. Amstard pounds Cassius silly until his last blo( kno"ks him
out/ That last blo( redu"ed him to >A hit points. rendering him un"ons"ious. and
Amstard also su""ess)ully rolled )or &no"kout on per"entile di"e/ :o. (hen does Cassius
(ake upO
+t (ill take Cassius 7 minutes to re"o*er C points o) Temporary Damage. (hi"h (ill
put him at 6 hp and let him (ake up/ Cassius rolls his :ystem :ho"k roll and is
su""ess)ul. meaning that he (ill (ake up )rom &no"kout a)ter dF minutes/ He rolls a 8.
so he (ould (ake up in 8 minutes/
1ut both re"o*eries ha*e to )inish )or him to (ake up/ A)ter 8 minutes. he's still
un"ons"ious. and (ill stay that (ay until 7 minutes are up/
/a&i(al Healin& and +no(kot
+f a character -ho has been 4nocked &ut receives healing ,agic Ma "ure light (ounds
s!ell or any ,ore !o-erful healing s!ell, e5cluding irrelevant s!ells such as "ure disease
or neutraliHe poisonN, and he successfully ,ade his Syste, Shock roll, he@ll -ake u!
i,,ediately M!rovided, as usual, that he@s above 7 hit !ointsN.
+f he receives healing ,agic but )ailed his Syste, Shock (oll, the ,agic still hel!s
hi,H 8e ,ay no- calculate his recovery as though he successfully ,ade his Syste, Shock
roll.
Co"bat Conditions
#ot all fights take !lace in -ide<o!en s!aces -ith level ground and in conditions of
adeEuate light. 8ere, -e@ll talk about -hat effects bad conditions can have on co,bat.
Darkness and 3lindness
When things are really dark, characters have a hard ti,e finding and attacking their
foes . . . and defending against their ene,ies@ attacks.
Characters and ,onsters don@t start suffering !enalties in darkness until it@s very dark
indeed. When it beco,es very dark, they suffer !enalties to hit their ene,ies. And if their
ene,ies can see better than they can, their ene,ies get bonuses to attack rolls.
&n !age 00; of the Player's Handbook is a chart of Visibility (anges.
Let@s add one line to that chartH otal Blackness. +n otal Blackness, all Visibility
(anges are 7.
Co"bat /odi)iers )or
Darkness and 3lindness
Condition /el8 /is8 'n)r8
3ons
Clear sky
Mdayti,eN =7 =7 P7
Aog, dense
or bli""ard =9 =3 P7
Aog, light
or sno- =0 =6 P7
Aog,
,oderate =6 =9 P7
)ist or
light rain =7 =0 P7
#ight,
full ,oon =6 =3 P6
#ight,
no ,oon =9 =O P9
otal
darkness =3 =O P9
-ilight =0 =6 P0
&n the chart above, you@ll see all those sa,e Visibility (anges in the first colu,n.
he second colu,n indicates the character@s attack !enalty -hen he@s attacking
so,eone in ,elee co,bat in that sort of visibility.
he third colu,n lists the !enalties for shooting at so,eone in ranged co,bat in those
visibility conditions. his !enalty is taken once at Short (ange, again at )ediu, (ange,
and once ,ore at Long (ange Msee able 3: on !age O1 of the Player's HandbookN.
he fourth colu,n is the +nfravision Bonus. +f a character has +nfravision, his bonus is
a!!lied against his attack !enalty for )elee, and against his attack !enalty for )issile
attacks suffered at each range ste!.
Ho5 #$is *orks
When a character is in a situation -here he suffers a !enalty to attack rolls in ,elee
co,bat, he@s obviously in so,e dark area. 8e, and everyone else -ith si,ilar vision,
suffers the !enalties to attack rolls in ,elee and ,issile co,bat.
!'ample- #athnar is in a )ight in pea$soup )og/ He "an barely see his hand in )ront o)
his )a"e/ An enemy looms up in the )og/ #athnar strikes at it@but su))ers a >A to atta"k
rolls/ The )og is so thi"k that it's di))i"ult to strike e'a"tly the right pla"e/ He rolls an
atta"k that (ould barely ha*e hit his )oe in ordinary "ir"umstan"es0 in these
"ir"umstan"es. his blo( is a "lean miss/
he ,issile !enalty gets -orse and -orse the further a-ay the attacker is fro, his
target.
!'ample- :ir Amstard. at the head o) an army. is )iring at the on"oming army o) or"s.
(hi"h is hal)$(ay a"ross the plain/ The or"s are at 77 yards. barely in range o) the
heroes' long bo(s/ The (eather. ho(e*er. is driHHly and rainy. "onsidered to be Mist on
the "hart abo*e/
The "hart says that Amstard and allies take a >6 to atta"k rolls@at ea"h range step/
That's >6 at short range. another >6 at medium. and a last >6 at long range/ Amstard
and )riends take a >A to atta"k rolls (hen )iring at the or"s/
:uddenly. the "loud breaks and a hea*y rain )alls on e*eryone/ The DM rules that it's
the e<ui*alent o) light )og or sno(/ The or"s ha*en't yet gotten (ithin 6C7 yards. so
they're still at long range/ Amstard and )riends )ire again/ Eo(. they're at > to atta"k
rolls per range step. or >F total to atta"k rolls their enemies/
Ho5 'n)ra.ision *orks
0#$e Si"!le *ay1
he si,!lest -ay to use +nfravision in these circu,stances is to ignore that fourth
colu,n on the chart above and Dust say that +nfravision cancels out all darkness !enalties.
his is si,!le, easy to re,e,ber, and doesn@t cause any co,bat hassles.
Ho5 'n)ra.ision *orks
0#$e Co"!le2 *ay1
+f you !refer ,ore realis, and co,!le5ity, then +nfravision is a hel!, but it@s still not
Euite as good as being in broad daylight.
With these o!tional rules, +nfravision can be a big hel! in ti,es of darkness. A
character -ith +nfravision isn@t as disadvantaged by !oor lighting conditions.
Airst, in ,elee co,bat, in any condition of darkness -here one !erson has better vision
than the other, he gets a bonus to attack rolls. his bonus is eEual to the other fello-@s
attack !enalty. Mhe character -ith infravision is still subDect to the nor,al !enaltyFin
effect, this bonus cancels the character@s o-n !enalty.N
!'ample- +t's dark and moonless outside. and #athnar is )ighting Aspendale the !l)/
#athnar doesn't ha*e +n)ra*ision0 Aspendale does/ #athnar. be"ause it's dark and
moonless. is taking a >A penalty to atta"k rolls Aspendale in melee/ Aspendale. there)ore.
has a =A (hen striking at #athnar/ 3>A )or bad lighting. =A )or #athnar's handi"ap. =A
)or in)ra*ision bonus5/
Second, in ,issile co,bat, in si,ilar conditions, the character -ith the better vision
gets a bonus to hit his target. his, also, is eEual to the other fello-@s melee, not ,issile,
!enalty to attack rolls.
!'ample- Taking a beating. #athnar runs o)) into the darkness and gets to his bo(/
Aspendale a""ommodates him/ Firing at Medium #ange. #athnar is at a >6 to atta"k
rolls; That's >F ea"h at :hort and Medium ranges. a""ording to the "hart abo*e/
hird, the third colu,n of the chart above gives a bonus for +nfravision. his is a!!lied
to the character@s !enalty for ,elee co,bat, and to his !enalty for ,issile co,bat at each
range ste!.
!'ample- Aspendale returns )ire/ He (ould be at a >F per ea"h range step. too. but
he has +n)ra*ision/ He gets a >F at :hort and at Medium #ange. but that's o))set by a =A
at :hort and a =A at Medium #ange/ His penalty- >F/ And be"ause he "an see better in
the dark than #athnar any(ay. he gets a bonus e<ual to #athnar's melee penalty- =A/ His
)inal penalty- A mere >A/ He shoots ba"k at #athnar. hitting him "lean on/
Unstable Grond
Characters so,eti,es have to fight on unstable ground. EarthEuakes ha!!en. %iant
,onsters burro- their -ay u! fro, the de!ths of the earth, shaking everything. Characters
have naval battles -here they fight on the decks of shi!s.
When such situations co,e u!, the D) decides -hat the force of the ground<
,ove,ent is. +f it@s sufficiently violent, characters -ill have to ,ake d67 rolls against
De5terity at the beginning o) ea"h "ombat round to stay on their feet. So,eti,es those
De5terity rolls -ill have bonuses, so,eti,es !enalties. When they fail those rolls, they fall
do-n.
he chart belo- sho-s several such situations and the ty!es of De5terity ability checks
they reEuireH
De2terity
C$e(k
Sitation Re-iredA
Big )onster Ces, at
Digging $! De5terity score
)inor re,or #o
)aDor re,or Ces, at
De5terity P9
)inor Ces, at
EarthEuake De5terity score
)aDor Ces, at
EarthEuake De5terity =O
Shi!@s Deck, #o
Slightly (olling
Shi!@s Deck, Ces, at
(olling De5terity P9
Shi!@s Deck, Ces, at
Stor,<ossed De5terity =9
So, if a character -ith De5terity 09 finds hi,self fighting on the deck of a stor,<
tossed shi!, each turn he@ll have to ,ake his De5terity check at a =9H 8e@ll have to roll a 07
or less on 0d67 or fall do-n.
/onted Co"bat
Cou@ll find rules for )ounted Co,bat in the Dungeon Master's Guide, !ages ;O<;;.
Let@s elaborate on the, a bit.
Bostin&
Jousting is a ty!e of co,bat -here t-o ,ounted -arriors, ar,ed -ith lances ride at
one another and try to s!it one another -ith their -ea!ons.
+t@s the s!ort of knights and kings, and is very a!!ro!riate to ca,!aigns -ith a
,edieval setting.
'nitiati.e
As a s!ecial rule, -hen t-o riders are Dousting, don@t bother -ith initiative rolls. &n the
first round of a Doust, the t-o Dousters ride at one another and roll attack rollsI on the
second, both continue their ride, turn around, and start back to-ard one another.
All attacks are resolved si,ultaneously. +nitiative does not enter the !icture.
+f Dousting is taking !lace during a larger battle, -here other things are going on and
initiative ,ust be rolled, try thisH When it@s ti,e for the Douster -ho -on initiative to take
his action, the Douster -ho lost initiative also gets to ,ake his attack roll, though this takes
!lace during the ,iddle of the ene,y@s co,bat seEuence. his hel!s si,ulate the fact that
the lance<strikes take !lace si,ultaneously.
/lti!le Atta(ks
When a character has ,ulti!le attacks in a single round, and is Dousting, he does not
get ,ulti!le lance attacks. 8e can only use that lance once in a co,bat round Mand loses
the ne5t round turning his horse, if he@s to co,e back and face the sa,e ene,yN.
8o-ever, that second attack in the sa,e round can still be effectiveI the best use for it
is for the rider to *arry the inco,ing lance attack -ith his shield. his can ,ake a Doust a
lengthier affairF-hich isn@t a bad thingI a classic Doust should go on for a fe- rounds at
least.
;an(es and Dis"ontin&
he DMG, !age ;O<;;, talks about being dis,ounted in co,bat, but doesn@t discuss
at length the usefulness of the lance in dis,ounting o!!onents.
he lance is designed to dis,ount o!!onents as -ell as to inflict da,age. Anyti,e a
lance hits a ,ounted target and does 2 !oints or ,ore of da,age Mafter doublingN, the
victi, has a chance of being dis,ounted. 8e ,ust roll his (iding !roficiencyI if he fails, he
falls for an additional 0=6 da,age.
Since both lancers can hit at the sa,e ti,e, and both can conceivably ,iss their (iding
rolls, both can be dis,ounted si,ultaneously . . . -hich tends to be e,barrassing, and can
be dangerous in large battles.
;an(e 3reaka&e
Lances often break. Any lance that hits and does ,ore than 06 !oints of da,age, and
any lance that has been successfully *arried by a shield, ,ay break. he !layer rolls 0dOI
on a 0 or 6, the lance breaks and is useless Me5ce!t as a clubN.
;an(e S!e(iali9ation
+f a character takes Wea!on S!eciali"ation in lance, he gets the usual benefits of attack
and da,age bonuses. But he also gets the follo-ing benefitsH
8e can !erfor, the Shield<(ush ,aneuver -ith his lance<ti!. +n order for this to do
da,age like a Shield<(ush instead of a lance strike the character ,ust be ,ounted, and
,ust strike a character -ho has ,etal Mor leather<and<,etalN ar,or or a shield. +f the
character does not have such ar,or, the attack is auto,atically a lance strike.
8e gets a P6 bonus to AC Mthus, an AC 6 -ould beco,e a 7N, only -hen Dousting and
only vs. another Douster. Mhat is, the AC bonus is only against inco,ing lance attacks, and
only -orks -hen the defender is hi,self ,ounted and carrying a lance.N
Horseba(k Ar($ery
&nly the Co,!osite Short Bo-, Short Bo-, Daikyu Mfro, this su!!le,ent@s
!<uipment cha!terN, and Crossbo-s ,ay be used fro, horseback. he Long Bo- and
Co,!osite Long Bo- ,ay not be.
Airing a bo- fro, the back of a still horse Mone -hich is not runningN is done at a =0
!enalty to attack rolls.
Airing fro, the back of a -alking or trotting horse is done at a =6 !enalty to attack
rolls.
Airing fro, the back of a gallo!ing horse is done at a =3 !enalty to attack rolls.
+n so,e barbarian tribes, es!ecially those -ho inhabit -ild<o!en !lains, every -arrior
kno-s (iding for the tribe@s favorite riding ani,al and S!eciali"es in Co,!osite Short
Bo-. his ,akes the, very, very dangerous o!!onents in a cavalry engage,ent.
#orna"ents
ourna,ents are events -here fighters get together to co,!ete . . . for !ri"es, to sho-
off their abilities, etc.
Aighting isn@t all that goes on, and fighters aren@t the only ones in attendance.
ourna,ents are huge social events -here everyone gathers to -atch, co,!ete, gossi!,
trade, bet, and s!ort. But fighters are the center<!ieceI the event revolves around the, and
their deeds.
#$e 3asi( #orna"ent
he basic tourna,ent, in a ,edieval<ty!e setting, consists of a Doust co,!etition. his
can take !lace in an ordinary field, but is ,ore colorful and entertaining -hen it takes
!lace on a s!ecial Doust list.
#$e Bost ;ist
his field consists of a long stri! of ground -ith a lo- fence along the ,iddle of itI the
Dousters ride to-ard one another, each -ith the fence to his left, and ,ake Dousting !asses
until one or the other is dis,ounted.
Along one or both long sides of the list, stands are set u! for onlookers. here ,ay be
a bo5 or s!ecial seating area for the local ruler and his retinue.
At both ends of the list, -here the horses turn around, are racks of lances for the
riders@ use. At one end of the list is an e5it to the field -here the knights and other
!artici!ants have their tents set u!.
#$e Bostin& Co"!etition
he ,ost !o!ular event in a tourna,ent, the event -hich the tourna,ent revolves
around, is the Dousting co,!etition.
+n this co,!etition, all !artici!ating fighters announce the,selves to the seneschal,
knights@ ,arshal, or other ,inor dignitary -ho does the actual -ork of running the
tourna,ent. here is no fee for ad,ission, but each entrant ,ust have his o-n ,ount,
ar,or, and lances. +t@s best if he also has a sEuire, !age or friend to -ait by his lance<rack
to hand hi, a ne- lance -hen one breaks.
+n so,e societies, all entrants ,ust be of the nobility, but that is necessarily left u! to
each D).
he Dousting co,!etition is single eli,ination. he field of entrants is broken do-n
into rando,ly<chosen !airs Mso,eti,es the choosing is not so rando,, if the organi"ers
-ant to !it es!ecially interesting fighters against one anotherFor to rig the tourna,ent
resultsN. Each !air ,akes a nu,ber of Dousting !asses until one is dis,ounted Mor yields
the fieldFi.e., surrenders in order to avoid further da,ageN. +f both co,batants are
dis,ounted in the sa,e !ass, they get u!, re,ount, and start over.
he -inner of the !air advances to the ne5t round of ,atchesI the loser is consoled.
When the nu,ber of entrants is an odd nu,ber, one fighter doesn@t have an o!!onent.
8e gets to Lfight the bye.L An o!!onent is chosen for the DousterH So,eone -ho lost in an
earlier ,atch, a -arrior not entered in the co,!etition, etc. (egardless of -ho -ins the
,atch, the Douster is advanced to the ne5t round Mand thus has a slight benefit over
so,eone -ho didn@t get to fight the byeNI but he@s Dust as tired and inDured as any other
fighter.
#o fighter ,ay fight the bye ,ore than once in any tourna,entI the organi"ers re<
arrange things if the sa,e fighter ends u! -ithout an o!!onent in another ,atch. By the
last ,atches of the co,!etition, the tourna,ent nu,bers -ill have evened out and no
,ore byes -ill be fought.
With each subseEuent round, the nu,ber of entrants is halved, until at the end only
t-o are leftI the -inner of that ,atch is the -inner of the tourna,ent.
3lnted ;an(es
ourna,ents ,ay be fought -ith blunted lances. Blunted lances -ork Dust as nor,al
lances, but they do da,age like *unching da,age Mi.e., ;:Q of all da,age is te,!orary,
and -ears off after the end of the ,atchN. Blunted lances do not have ,etal or !ointed
headsI they -eigh as ,uch as regular lances, but cost only half as ,uch.
7een o) ;o.e and 3eaty
&ften, the -inner of the Dousting co,!etition gets to choose the tourna,ent@s LKueen
of Love and Beauty.L he local ruler or tourna,ent organi"er gives hi, a cro-n or
coronet, -hich the fighter ,ay besto- u!on any lady Mat the tourna,entN of his choosingI
ty!ically, the cro-n is !laced over the end of the fighter@s lance, so that he ,ight ride
along the stands and give the cro-n, at lance<!oint, to the lady of his choice. he Kueen
of Love and Beauty sits -ith the fighter and local ruler at the night@s feast, and the a-ard
is a sign of status and res!ect, but confers no lasting benefit.
+n a ca,!aign -here -o,en also fight, naturally, the fe,ale fighter -ould be given a
cro-n to a-ard to the L4ing of %race.L
Pri9es
*ri"es are often a-arded to the -inner of the Doust. hese are not generally cash
!ri"es, or ,agical !ri"esI they are usually so,e De-elled or orna,ental sign of favor, and
act as tro!hies for the victor.
Ot$er E.ents
&ther events taking !lace at a tourna,ent Mat the discretion of the organi"ers and the
D)N includeH
Ar($ery Co"!etitions
An archery co,!etition is usually for long bo-s or light crossbo-sI so,e tourna,ents
have one co,!etition for each.
+n the archery co,!etition, the targets are set u! at the -ea!on@s long rangeI all
co,!etitors suffer a =: to attack rolls -ith each shot. argets are AC 07.
+n each tourna,ent round, each !artici!ant fires five arro-s or Euarrels at his target. A
,iss counts as 7 !oints. A nor,al hit counts as 9 !oints. +f a character rolls : over -hat he
needed on his attack roll, it counts as : !oints. +f a natural 67 is rolled, it counts as 07
!oints Ma bull@s<eyeTN.
At the end of each round, !oints are tallied and half the field, the ones -ith the lo-est
scores, are eli,inated. his continued until there are only t-o or three co,!etitors leftI
-hen that ha!!ens, the co,!etition has reached its final round.
+n the final round, the sa,e rules are in !lace, but s,aller, harder targets are usedI they
have AC 3.
*ri"es often consist of ne- bo-s, Euivers, sheaves of arro-s, and De-elry. Archery is
!retty res!ectableI it does not co,,and the sort of status or !ri"es the Doust does, but is
better<regarded than the lo-ly foot<list. #obles and !easants alike ,ay !artici!ate.
+n so,e cultures, the crossbo- is thought of as a vulgar -ea!onI in such cultures,
,ost tourna,ents -on@t have a crossbo- co,!etition. he fe- such co,!etitions -hich
take !lace are not attended by noble co,!etitors.
%oot,;ists
A foot<list is organi"ed like a Doust, e5ce!t that its entrants fight on foot, and are not
restricted to the nobility Meven -hen the Doust isN.
Since ,elee -ea!ons are deadlier than blunted lances, so,e tourna,ent organi"ers
!refer not to have foot<listsI the chances of a fighter dying are !retty high, and organi"ers
are not reEuired or e5!ected to have a high<level !riest on hand to raise so,e !easant
-arrior -ho dies in a co,!etition.
*ri"es often consist of -ea!ons and ,inor De-elry, usually not as e5!ensive or fancy as
those a-arded to the Dousters.
/er($ants' Stalls
Also !resent at larger tourna,ents are ro-s u!on ro-s of ,erchants@ stallsI a large
tourna,ent is a fascinating !lace to go sho!!ing, and a good !lace to find e5!erts in all
sorts of craft<,aking, -ea!on<,aking, and ar,or<,aking.
Dan(in&< So(iali9in&
Ainally, the tourna,ent is a grand social event. )usicians !lay, !eo!le gossi!, dances
are conductedI it@s a grand !lace to hear ne- ru,ors, or start the,, to ,eet contacts, to
stu,ble across ,ysteries . . . all of -hich the D) should kee! in ,ind.
*$en to End Co"bat
Co,bats in the ga,e don@t have to go on until everyone on one side is dead . . . or
even defeated.
Don@t forget that one side or the other Mincluding the *Cs@ sideN can surrender, or
retreat, or even convince the other side to sto! fighting and do so,e talking or
negotiating.
When every fight ,ust end in one side achieving total, bloody victory, the ga,e
ra!idly gro-s boring. When there@s o!!ortunity for a greater nu,ber of resolutions, there@s
,ore uncertainty to co,bat, and to the ca,!aign@s storyline.
+f you have characters -ho -on@t sto! fighting -hen it should be done, you have
!roble,s. 8ere are so,e things to do about the,.
*$en C$ara(ters Don't A((e!t Srrender
When your characters -on@t ever acce!t an ene,y@s surrender, you have a serious
!roble,, because it also ,eans that those characters -on@t ever surrender the,selves
Mbecause they kno- it al-ays ,eans certain deathN, and that you can never have t-o
characters M*C and #*CN fight and later end u! as allies Munless they@re both chaotic evil,
for instanceN.
Cou can enforce the right of your #*Cs to surrender Mand e5!ect to live through itN
through a cou!le of ,eans.
Airst, a surrendering character -ho is about to be butchered could Lturn outL to have
so,e infor,ation critical to the characters, and say so,ething like L4ill ,e and you@ll
never learn about Mfill in the blankN.L his stubborn #*C -on@t reveal the infor,ation,
even on !ain of death, unless the *Cs !ro,ise to acce!t his surrender Mand those of his
friendsN and kee! the #*Cs alive after-ards. M+f the *Cs !ro,ise, and later renege, you
can al-ays visit other revenge u!on the,.N
Second, a local deity, s!irit or ,onster could see the *Cs hacking on surrendering
#*Cs and gro- offended. )uch tougher than the *Cs -ill ever be, this being snatches u!
the ,ost offensive of the *Cs, tells hi, -hat he@s doing and -hy, and then curses or kills
the *C as a lesson to the others.
his is a brute<force techniEue, but such !layers have already sho-n that they
understand little but brute force any-ay.
*$en C$ara(ters Al5ays C$ase Es(a!ees
So,e characters chase after every grou! of ene,ies -ho run a-ay fro, co,bat, -ith
the avo-ed intention of running the, do-n and killing the,.
he best -ay to counter this attitude, and !ersuade the *Cs to let the occasional band
of inconseEuential #*Cs and ,onsters esca!e, is to have such ene,ies set u! tra!s along
their esca!e route. +f the *Cs !ursue, they get caught in the tra!s and suffer da,age and
e,barrass,ent. hat -ill teach the, to be ,ore cautious in future events.
&nce the characters see ene,ies getting a-ay, they ,ay co,e to the reali"ation that
they ,ay the,selves occasionally flee and get a-ay.
*$en C$ara(ters Ne.er Ne&otiate
So,eti,es, -hen *Cs and #*Cs are thick in co,bat, an #*C ,ay try to cal, things
do-n, call for the t-o sides to !art and cease fightingFat least for a -hile. +t ,ay be that
the #*C has figured out that the t-o !arties should be allied, or that he -ants to bribe the
*Cs, or even conduct surrender negotiations . . . fro, a !osition of strength.
+f your characters never negotiate, once again your ca,!aign o!tions are li,ited. Cou
have to brute<force so,e sense into the,. A good -ay to do this is to have the *Cs fight
an #*C grou! -ho have a hostage or artifact crucial to the *Cs. he #*Cs say they -ill
kill the hostage or destroy the artifact if the *Cs don@t sto! fighting for a ,inute. And
they@re telling the truth . . .
&nce the *Cs have lost several hostages or artifacts dear to the,, they ,ay start
reconsidering their reactionary !olicies. And once they get in the habit of doing a little
talking -ith the ene,y, they ,ay figure out that they can also initiate such co,,unication
in future co,bats.
Notes On t$e Co"bat Se-en(e
8ere are a cou!le of ti!s to give you ,ore o!tions in co,bat.
Called S$ots
With all the rules and o!tions -e@ve introduced in The Complete Fighter's Handbook,
-e need to re,ind you to be diligent about asking about Called Shots during the Co,bat
SeEuence.
+n the ga,e, co,bat follo-s this seEuenceH
M0N he D) decides -hat the #*Cs and ,onsters -ill doI
M6N he D) asks the !layers -hat they -ill doI
M9N +nitiative is rolledI and
M3N Co,bat is resolved in initiative order.
+n a lot of ca,!aigns, Ste! 6 is ski!!ed. he D) decides -hat the #*Cs or ,onsters
are doing, has everyone roll initiative, and then asks the !layer<characters, as their actions
co,e u!, -hat they@re doing.
But if you@re using Called Shots, you have to be diligent about kee!ing Ste! 6 in the
seEuence, so that the characters@ Called Shots can be established before initiative is rolled.
*aitin& on 'nitiati.e
here@s another good reason not to ski! Ste! 6 of the Co,bat SeEuenceH
hough co,bat is the -arrior@s !rofession, so,e D)s launch the !layer<characters
into co,bat ,ore often than they necessarily need to.
Why is thisB +t@s because it beco,es very easy to narrate an encounter this -ayH LCou
round the corner and there, 97 feet ahead, you see a !arty of si5 orcs advancing. hey see
you, too. (oll for initiative.L
&nce again, Ste! 6 is ski!!edI and, ,erely by saying L(oll for initiative,L you !resu,e
that the !layer<characters -ill attack the orcs, and that the orcs -ill attack the *Cs. #ot
only do you !resu,e itH Cou !ractically guarantee it. he !layers -ill follo- the D)@s call
for initiative, and co,bat is Doined before anyone figures out that they had other o!tions.
+f this has beco,e your habit -hen D)ing, try substituting so,e other state,ent
insteadH Ask LWhat do you doBL instead of calling for initiative rolls. his gives the !layers
the o!!ortunity to talk to or challenge the other !arty. Co,bat ,ight result any-ayI a
!articularly ,ilitant *C, or aggressive #*Cs, could bring about a co,bat i,,ediately. But
if that doesn@t occur, the *Cs and #*Cs can talk, argue, choose to fight or agree to
coo!erate, -hatever they choose.
+f the t-o grou!s decide to fight, roll initiative nor,ally.
#a(ti(s
All too often, a -arrior character si,!ly charges u! to the front line in every co,bat,
and in non<co,bat situations sits back and listens -hile his -iser ,age and !riest friends
handle all the niggling details of the adventurer@s life outside of co,bat.
Well, neither of these a!!roaches is !articularly good.
+n co,bat, the front<line attack is only one of several o!tions the !arty needs to cover.
And out of co,bat, the fighter is ad,irably suited to dealing -ith several everyday
details that concern the adventuring !arty.
Co"bat #a(ti(s
When the characters Mnot Dust the -arrior<charactersN enter co,bat, these are so,e
things that the -arrior should re,e,ber and !rovide forH
S$ield,*alls and Polear"s
As has been ,entioned before, a character -ith a !olear, Mor long s!ear, or DavelinN
can stand behind a character -ith a shorter -ea!on and attack the sa,e targets that his
ally is attacking. hat@s one of the !rinci!al advantages to the !olear,, but it@s ignored all
too often in AD&D ga,e ca,!aigns.
his is the -ay it -orksH
he character -ith the !olear, !ositions hi,self behind an ally, !referably a fighter
-ith a shield. Because the !olear, fighter ,ust -ork around the friend in front of hi,, he
suffers a =6 to attack rolls anyone on the other side of his friend. 8o-ever, he isn@t li,ited
Dust to the ene,y of the ,an he@s standing behindH +f our !olear, hero is standing behind a
line of three ,en M-ho are side<by<sideN, he can strike at anyone -ho is close enough to
attack any of those three ,en -ith a ,ediu,<length -ea!on.
his is useful in a co,bat because the !olear, -ielder can attack targets -ithout
being right in their faces, or engaged -ith the,. hat ,eans he can s-itch targets -ithout
any fancy foot-ork. When one of his buddies is foundering, or taking a beating, the
!olear, -ielder can begin attacking that buddy@s ene,y.
And don@t forget the !olear, vs. !olear, *arry, as described above under that
,aneuver@s descri!tion.
*ol),Pa(k #a(ti(s
When the adventuring !arty gets in co,bat -ith a single large ,onster -hich can be
confronted directly Mlike a troll, for instance, and unlike a dragon, -hich has a strong ,i5
of ,elee abilities, ranged co,bat abilities, and ,obilityN, it@s foolish Dust to line u! and
hack at the thing. +n fact, it@s not necessarily clever Dust to surround the ,onster and hack
at it. ry this insteadH
Surround the ,onster, of course.
&n the first round, half of the circle of heroes should !erfor, a *arry, or the *arrying
,aneuver fro, the DMG/ he other half should attack as vigorously as !ossible.
&n the second round, the action s-itchesH he grou! -hich attacked last round, no-
defends, and the grou! -hich defended no- attacks.
+n real life Mfor e5a,!le, -hen !racticed by -olf<!acksN, this often has the effect of
confusing the !rey and reducing its fighting effectiveness. he !rey feels a bite to its rear
and turns to attack thereI but -hile it@s concentrating on ene,ies in that direction, the
-olves no- to its rear ,ake their attack.
+n the AD&D ga,e, the -olf<!ack tactic can have si,ilar effects . . . if the D)
-ishes to allo- it to. +f the D) a!!roves of this tactic, he can coo!erate by having the
,onster, for a fe- rounds at least, behave in the !redictable fashionH Each round, the
,onster turns and attacks the grou! that attacked it last, -hich is no- defending. his -ill
give the !arty several rounds of co,bat -here it has the advantage and can -hittle the
,onster do-n.
But be a-areH Even if the D) is nice enough to give you this slight tactical advantage,
eventually even the stu!idest ,onster -ill get -ise and try to break through the circle of
fighters. A good thing doesn@t last forever.
+t ,ay be that your D) has no interest in letting this tactic -ork. Ask hi, if it has a
chance of doing so,e good in your ca,!aign. +f he says no, don@t even try it. Even if he
says yes, he ,ay not re,e,ber to grant that little benefitI if, after a fe- -olf<!ack
atte,!ts, you haven@t seen it -ork once, give u! on the tactic.
#a(ti(al /i2
+t@s a good idea for the fighting characters Mincluding rogues and !riestsN in a !arty to
re!resent a ,i5 of -ea!ons and co,bat styles. Several should be front<line fighters,
bearing heavy ar,or and large, da,aging -ea!ons. &ne or t-o -ould be behind<the<lines
fighters, carrying !olear,s. And one or t-o should be ,issilers, carrying bo-, crossbo-,
or even sling or thro-ing knives.
his gives the !arty a certain a,ount of versatility. he heavy fighters can engage the
heavy o!!osition. he !olear, fighters can attack the ene,y -ith reduced risk of being
hurt. he ,issilers should concentrate on eli,inating ene,y ,issilers first, and then can
turn their attention to doing unreturned da,age to the ,elee<fighting ene,ies.
+t@s es!ecially good -hen characters can ,i5 and ,atch their roles. Any character can
have a sling or a thro-ing a5e at his belt and beco,e a ,issiler in a ,atter of seconds, for
e5a,!le.
Rotation
+t often ha!!ens that a front<line fighter beco,es seriously da,aged -hen fightingF
and then ,ust continue fighting, because he has no other o!tion until the ene,y is
defeated. his doesn@t have to be the case.
+n a large !arty co,bat, !articularly da,aged front<line fighters can be Lrotated out,L
!ulled fro, the front line and re!laced by a less hurt -arrior . . . or not re!laced at allH he
shield<-all Mi.e., the other front<line fightersN can close ranks and !lug u! the hole.
See the rules for (etreat MPlayer's Handbook, !age 1;N. During his co,bat action, the
inDured ,an announces that he@s retreatingI the ally or allies he stood side<by<side -ith
need to announce that they@re blocking !ursuit Mi.e., they@re ,oving so that the ene,y can@t
Dust -ander in through their lineN. hat !uts the hurt ,an behind his o-n line, -here he
can kee! a-ay fro, da,age or even seek so,e healing.
+f one of the !olear, fighters is acco,,odating, they can take the rest of their co,bat
round to s-itch -ea!ons. he inDured ,an takes the !olear,, and the other fighter takes
the front<line -ea!ons. &n their ne5t co,bat round, the uninDured ,an ,oves u! into the
line and the inDured ,an begins -hacking ene,ies -ith his !olear,.
his is a good -ay to kee! !eo!le alive.
S!ear,Carriers
+n so,e ca,!aigns, !layers have the attitude that #*Cs are along to get killed so that
the *Cs -on@t.
hat@s !atently ridiculousI an adventuring !arty -ith that attitude -ould soon gain a
very bad re!utation, and -ould find it increasingly difficult to hire #*Cs, -ould find that
inns and taverns al-ays denied the, service, -ould find that sages told the, to bu"" off,
etc.
8o-ever, there@s a ty!e of s!ear<carrier #*C that any grou! of adventurers should
consider hiringFand that@s the actual s!ear<carrier.
+n ,any to-ns and villages, the heroes can find a strong, stra!!ing youth -ho is
-illing to co,e along -ith the, for the !ro,ise of so,e treasure and co,bat training.
his energetic youth shouldn@t be sla!!ed in ar,or and !ut u! front to be killedH +nstead,
he should be charged -ith carrying an e5tra -ea!on or t-o and ,aking sure that all his
allies have -ea!ons at all ti,es in co,bat. +n a co,bat, the s!ear<carrier ,ay act as a
behind<the<lines !olear, -arrior, if his hands aren@t full already. 8e also serves as backu!
defense for !eo!le -ho stay behind the lines because they can@t fight -ellH #onco,batant
#*Cs, ,ages, etc.
8ere@s ho- it -orksH
he s!ear<carrier is given a single -ea!on of his o-n, such as a s!ear, and also carries
a cou!le of e5tra -ea!ons, -hich are !arty<o-ned -ea!onsFsuch as a long s-ord in a
back sheath and a short s-ord on his belt, for instance.
+n co,bat, he stays behind the line and takes the occasional s!ear<!oke at the ene,y
over the line. Whenever a *C loses a -ea!on Mto a fu,ble, or an ene,y@s Disar,, or -hen
a -ea!on is shattered by a foeN, the s!ear<carrier uses his ne5t available co,bat round to
,ove in close and give the *C one of the e5tra -ea!ons he@s carrying.
he s!ear<carrier is also useful for kee!ing a ,ore distant eye on -hat@s going on -ith
the co,bat. 8e ,ight notice ne- ene,ies arriving on the hori"on, or notice an ene,y
skulking to get around the edge of the shield<-all, before a !layer<character has the
o!!ortunity to do so.
Since this character is an #*C, he doesn@t have to share the !layer<characters@ frantic
desire to ,ake every co,bat round of every co,bat count for so,ething. 8e can afford to
kee! an eye on things and -on@t necessarily be des!erate to bang on an ene,y every
round.
A variant of this character is the s!ear<carrier devoted to a s!ecific *C. A *C -ho is a
s!ear<thro-er, for instance, ,ight have a !age or sEuire devoted to carrying t-o or three
e5tra s!ears for hi,. +n such a case, the *C is usually res!onsible for teaching the !age or
sEuire to fight M(ithout getting hi, killedN so that #*C ,ight so,eday beco,e a knight.
Dire(tin& #ra))i(
+t@s very hel!ful for one fighter in a !arty to act as tactical coordinator Mthat is, co,bat
leaderN. +n co,bat, he kee!s his eye on the situation and issues orders to his allies.
he tactical coordinator should be the one to notice that one of his frontline friends is
being cho!!ed to !ieces, and order that character rotated back behind the line. When one
!articular ene,y is discovered to be ,ore deadly than the rest, the tactical coordinator
should order ,issilers and !olear, fighters to concentrate their efforts on that one. When
the fight goes against the heroes and can@t be turned around, the tactical coordinator
should order the retreatFand ,ake sure, if !ossible, that it@s an orderly one, -ith no one
,issing and fighting<ranks still ,aintained.
+f no *C fighter volunteers or naturally evolves into the co,bat leader role, the D)
can hel! L!ush things alongL by deter,ining, in his best o!inion, -hich *C -ould be best
in that roleFand then having #*Cs turn to that character for orders -hen co,bat
situations co,e u!.
Ca"!ai&n #a(ti(s
he -arrior isn@t hel!less or useless outside of co,bat, either.
+n situations -here the !arty is !re!aring for an adventure, !lanning a ,ission, or Dust
arriving in a ne- !lace Mto-n, castle, -hateverN, the fighters Mes!ecially the co,bat leaderN
should ,ake the,selves res!onsible for learning the follo-ing things . . . and re!orting
these facts to the othersH
Co"bats and Co"bat /issions4
%hat's the lay o) the landO he fighters should get detailed descri!tions Mand, if
!ossible, ,a!sN of the area -here they -ill be fightingI this -ill hel! the, !lot strategy,
a,bushes, etc.
%hat sort o) )or"es does the opposition musterO his ,ight be details of the ene,y
ar,y, or the garrison of a castle the heroes -ant to invade, or Dust ru,ors of -hat ,ight
be found in the dark dungeon the characters intend to e5!lore.
+s anything strange going on at the siteO +f there is, it ,ight be sy,!to,atic of
so,ething i,!ortant to the characters. Do the locals hear gru,blings and ru,blings dee!
in the earth that -eren@t there beforeB his ,ight indicate that a dragon has ,oved in . . .
or that so,eone is doing so,e ,ining secretly. Are there suddenly a lot of strangers in
to-nB his ,ight ,ean the ene,y has s!ies in to-n, or is hiring ne- -arriors, -ho !ass
through to-n on route to their final destination. Whenever there@s so,ething strange going
on, the heroes -ill have to face its source eventually, and should be as !re!ared as
!ossible. When the fighters hear of so,ething strange going on, they really ought to
consult -ith the ,ages and !riests, -ho ,ight have ideas on the ,atter based on their
o-n fields of learning.
Can the heroes "ount on lo"al helpO +f this is a co,bat assault, can the heroes reEuest,
hire or levy local troo!s to back the, u!B +f they can, and the situation -arrants it, they
should. But if they never ask, they al,ost never get hel!.
Can the heroes hire lo"al e'pertsO +f their ,ission is to take the, into an area -here a
local kno-s ,ore about the situation than they do, it@s a good idea for the characters to
hire a local e5!ert. %uides -ho kno- the local sites, es!ecially, are an invaluable resource.
%hat sort o) e<uipment (ill the party needO Any sort of s!ecial situation M-alls to
cli,b, s!ecific ,onsters to fight, interesting terrain to cross, etc.N is likely to reEuire
s!eciali"ed eEui!,ent, and it@s the fighters@ res!onsibility to deter,ine -hat sort of
eEui!,ent that is . . . and then to get it.
Bst Arri.in& 'n #o5n
%hat are the "hara"ters' rooms likeO Whether the heroes are being acco,,odated by
friends, by an inn, or by a local ruler or noble, the fighter should check out their roo,s in
ter,s of defensibility. +f the heroes are attacked in their roo,s in the ,iddle of the night in
the dark, the fighter should kno- Mbecause he@s !re!ared hi,self in advanceN ho- ,any
e5its there are fro, the roo,, -hether they are o!en, closed, or locked, ho- defensible
the roo, is, -hat story it is on and ho- far it is to the ground, etc. 8e ,ight -ish to
consult -ith the (ogue, -ho ,ight be inclined to check for secret doors or tra!s, or on
the feasibility of going u! to the roof -hen the heroes go out the -indo-.
%hat are the lo"al la(sO he fighter should find out -hat the local ordinances are
concerning the carrying of -ea!ons and the -earing of ar,or. +f it turns out that either is
illegal or restricted, he ought to let his friends kno- about it. Contrary to -hat so,e
ca,!aigning grou!s think, local co,,unities have the right to ,ake such la-s and
enforce the, . . . and -hen !layer<characters defy the local authorities, refuse to take off
ar,or or abandon -ea!ons, and even attack and kill local !eace officers, the *Cs are for
the ,o,ent *illains, not heroes.
he other character classes have their o-n subDects to e5!lore in the sa,e situations.
By co,!arisonH
/a&es (an take res!onsibility )or4 Learning the history of the current situation, ho-
it ca,e to beI !erha!s there@s a clue to getting things fi5ed in the history of the ,atter.
%etting details of the ,agic of the situationI only a ,age can !ro!erly evaluate these
detailsI !erha!s the ,age can arrange or research a counter<s!ell useful in the situation.
Priests (an take res!onsibility )or4 Learning -hat the local !riests think of the
situation. Co,,uning -ith their deities to see if the deity has any !ro!hecy, advice or
ad,onition to offer. *rovisioning the !artyI the !riest is best suited to arranging for
ordinary !rovisions Mfood, clothing, etc.N.
Ro&es (an take res!onsibility )or4 *utting an ear to the street Mthat is, the !eo!le of
the streetN and seeing -hat@s afootI it@s al-ays a clue to the resolution of a !roble, if the
rulers say one thing and the co,,on !eo!le say so,ething different about a situation.
Evaluating infiltration and break<in o!!ortunitiesI the rogue is best suited to deter,ining
ho- !ossible and useful it -ould be to getting a s!y in the ene,y ca,!, breaking in to a
s!ecific site, etc.
#aturally, all these descri!tions are generali"ations. Any s!ecific character ,ight be
!articularly talented at one of these roles, even if he belongs to a L-rongL character class.
But so,eone should undertake each of these tasksI other-ise, the characters are going
into a situation kno-ing less than they could kno- about it.
#$e Co"bat S$eet
&n !age 066 is a Co,bat Sheet. &ne side contains infor,ation for *Cs, the other is
for the D) to record vital co,bat statistics about the characters.
E-i!"ent
Warriors do not live by ra- co,bat talent alone Mthough they@ve been kno-n to die by
itN. #o, they also need eEui!,ent, the tools of their tradeH -ea!ons, ar,or, and
,iscellaneous gear a!!ro!riate to the -arrior<class.
+n this cha!ter, -e@ll talk about that eEui!,ent, and elaborate on the -ea!ons and
ar,or !resented in the Player's Handbook.
Old *ea!ons
We need to clarify so,e details about -ea!ons -hich a!!eared in the Player's
Handbook.
One,Hand< #5o,Hand
Wea!ons, for !ur!oses of ho- they@re held and -ielded, fall into four categoriesH one<
handed only, one<handed but can be -ielded t-o<handed, one<handed or t-o<handed, or
t-o<handed only.
One,Handed Only ,eans the -ea!on can only be -ielded one<handed, in one hand
or the other.
One,Handed 3t Can 3e *ielded #5o,Handed refers to a -ea!on !rinci!ally
designed for one<handed use but -hich can be used t-o<handed. hese -ea!ons have
enough haft or hilt on the, that the -ielder can -ield the -ea!on in both hands, -hich
confers no benefit . . . unless the character has taken a Style S!eciali"ation in -o<8ander
Aighting Style Msee the descri!tion of -o<8ander techniEue in the Co,bat cha!terN.
One,Handed Or #5o,Handed -ea!ons are designed s!ecifically to be used -ith one
or both hands, and have se!arate da,age listings for the t-o different fighting styles.
#5o,Handed Only -ea!ons can only be -ielded in t-o hands.
E2a"!les
Each of the -ea!ons fro, the Player's Handbook falls into one of those four
categories, as follo-sH
One,Handed Only
DaggerJdirk, Dart, Aoot,an@s ,ace, 8andJthro-ing a5e, 4nife, Lances MallN, Scourge,
Sickle, S-ordJ4ho!esh, S-ordJSci,itar, S-ordJShort, Whi!.
One,Handed 3t Can 3e *ielded #5o,Handed
Battle a5e, Club, Aoot,an@s flail, Aoot,an@s !ick, 8orse,an@s flail, 8orse,an@s ,ace,
8orse,an@s !ick, )orning star, S-ordJLong, and Warha,,er.
One,Handed Or #5o,Handed
8ar!oon, Javelin, S!ear, S-ordJBastard, rident.
#5o,Handed Only
ArEuebus, Blo-gun, Bo-s MallN, Crossbo-s MallN, )ancatcher, *olear,s MallN,
Kuarterstaff, Sling Mone hand to load, one hand to thro-N, Staff sling, S-ordJ-o<handed.
/ore On One,Handed or #5o,Handed
As you can see, five -ea!ons fall into the &ne<8anded &r -o<8anded categoryH he
Bastard S-ord, and four s!ear<like -ea!ons M8ar!oon, Javelin, S!ear, ridentN.
+n the Player's Handbook, it@s !resu,ed that you@re fighting -ith S!ear one<handed,
and -ith 8ar!oon, Javelin, and rident t-o<handed. Mhis is because S!ear is a )ediu,
-ea!on and the others are Large.N 8o-ever, in The Complete Fighter's Handbook. any of
these -ea!ons can be used either in one hand or in both.
But they can also be -ielded t-o<handed, and do even ,ore da,age -hen they are.
he table sho-s both the one<handed and t-o<handed da,age for each of the four
-ea!ons.
Also, to this list -e@re adding the Long S!ear. his is like the ordinary s!ear, but
,ounted on a ,uch longer M06@=02@N shaft. +t@s not es!ecially suited to one<handed use, but
inflicts a lot of da,age -hen used t-o<handed.
he 8ar!oon, Javelin, S!ear, and rident can all be thro-n, but the thro-n -ea!on
da,age is al-ays the one<handed da,age, never the t-o<handed da,age. he Long S!ear
is not built for thro-ing.
hese five s!ear<like -ea!ons are as fast and ,aneuverable -hen used t-o<handedI
therefore, unlike the Bastard S-ord, their s!eed factor does not -orsen -hen they are
used t-o<handed.
*ei&$t S!eed Da"a&e
'te" Cost 0lbs81 Si9e #y!eC %a(tor S,/ ;
8ar!oonQ
&ne<handed 67 g! O L * ; 0d3P0 0dOP0
-o<handed 67 g! O L * ; 6d3 6dO
JavelinQ
&ne<handed : s! 6 ) * 3 0d3 0d3
-o<handedV : s! 6 ) * 3 0dO 0dO
S!earQ
&ne<handed 2 s! : ) * O 0dO 0d2
-o<handedV 2 s! : ) * O 0d2P0 6dO
S!ear, LongQ
&ne<handed : g! 2 L * 2 0d2 0d2P0
-o<handedV : g! 2 L * 2 6dO 9dO
ridentQ
&ne<handed 0: g! : L * ; 0dOP0 9d3
-o<handed 0: g! : L * ; 0d2P0 9d3
Q his -ea!on is intended for one<handed or t-o<handed use.
V his -ea!on inflicts double da,age -hen fir,ly set to receive a charge.
Ne5 *ea!ons
Several of the -arrior<kits described in the Ad*an"ed %arrior Types cha!ter
,entioned ne- -ea!ons a!!ro!riate to those -arrior ty!es. &n the ne5t !age is a chart of
all those ne- -ea!onsI a little further on -e@ll discuss -hat they are and ho- they@re used.
)any of these -ea!ons have s!ecial abilities, bonuses and co,bat functions not
reflected on the chartI these abilities hel! account for the high costs listed for so,e of the
-ea!ons.
&ther -ea!ons, !articularly the bone and stone ones, see, to be of very li,ited
usefulness. here@s a reason for that, discussed a little further on in this section.
/issile *ea!on Ran&es
*ea!on RO% S / ;
Bolas 0 9 O 1
Chain G 0J6 0 6
Dagger,
bone 6J0 0 6 9
Dagger,
stone 6J0 0 6 9
Daikyu 6J0 ; 03 60
Javelin,
stone 0 6 3 O
4nife,
bone 6J0 0 6 9
4nife,
stone 6J0 0 6 9
Lasso G 0 6 9
#et G 0 6 9
Shuriken 6J0 6 3 O
S!ear,
stone 0 0 6 9
Stiletto 6J0 0 6 9
rident 0 7 0 6
he chain, lasso and net are included in the table above because their use, in co,bat, is
,uch like a ,issile -ea!on. hey have ranges related to the length of the chain, the lasso
or the net@s trailing ro!e.
he LGL ,eans the -ea!on doesn@t !recisely have a rate of fireI it ,ay be used as often
as the character@s level Mand !erha!s s!eciali"ationN dictates for a ,elee -ea!on.
Use o) #$ese #ables
he fact that these -ea!ons a!!ear on tables in an AD&D ga,e !roduct doesn@t
,ean that !layers ,ay i,,ediately buy these -ea!ons for their characters. hese -ea!ons
are not co,,only available, and ,ay only be taken -ith D) !er,ission . . . and that
!er,ission should de!end on the character@s origin.
Cou see, each of these -ea!ons is a!!ro!riate to a certain culture Mand to the Warrior
4its belonging to that cultureNI and each of these -ea!ons is further described belo-,
under the heading that corres!onds to that culture or Warrior 4it.
+f, for instance, your character isn@t a %ladiator, he can@t start !lay -ith a drusus. +n
fact, if he doesn@t belong to a culture -hich has gladiators, never travels to such a culture,
and doesn@t even find a ,arket -ith contacts -ith such a culture, he can never even get a
drusus.
So the D), and D) alone, decides ho- accessible each of these -ea!ons is based on
ho- ,any ties the ca,!aign culture has -ith the culture that creates these -ea!ons. Even
if he says that there is contact, it ,ay not be !ossible or easy for *Cs to acEuire these
-ea!onsI Dust because sa,urai visit the court of your king doesn@t ,ean that they@d be
-illing to sell their treasured katanas, after all.
+n short, acEuisition of this ty!e of eEui!,ent is left as an e5ercise in role<!laying and
adventure, in !layed<out ga,e sessions, not as so,ething as si,!le as dro!!ing so,e gold
!ieces off your character sheet.
Gladiator *ea!ons
%ladiators are trained in a variety of -ea!ons. +n addition to the ne- -ea!ons on the
chart above, gladiators can be trained in the follo-ing, ,ore co,,only<available,
-ea!onsH Long bo- Many ty!eN, Short bo- Many ty!eN, Dagger, Aoot,an@s flail, 4nife,
8alberd, Scourge, Sci,itar, Short s-ord, S!ear, rident, and Whi!.
he short s-ord used by gladiators, incidentally, is a short, straight<bladed -ea!on
shar!ened on both edgesI it is called the gladius. and gladiators take their na,e fro, it.
he gladius has the characteristics of an ordinary short s-ord.
Ne5 *ea!ons ;ist
*ei&$t S!eed Da"a&e
'te" Cost 0lbs81 Si9e #y!e
D
%a(tor S,/ ;
Arro-s, Stone
Alight
3
9 c!J0 0J07 ) * F 0d3 0d3
Belaying !in
0
6 c! 6 S B 3 0d9 0d9
Bo stick
3
6 c! 3 L B 3 0dO 0d3
Bolas
0
: s! 6 ) B 2 0d9 0d6
Cestus
0
0 g! 6 S S 6 0d3 0d9
Chain
3
: s! 9 L B : 0d3P0 0d3
Dagger
Bone
0
0 s! 0 S * 6 0d6 0d6
Stone
0
6 s! 0 S * 6 0d9 0d6
Daikyu
3
077 g! 9 L F ; F F
Daikyu arro-
3
9 s!JO 0 ) * F 0d2 0dO
%affJhook
0
Attached 6 g! 6 S * 6 0d3 0d9
8eld : c! 6 S * 6 0d3 0d9
Javelin, Stone
9
&ne<handed : c! 6 ) * 3 0d3 0d3
-o<handed : c! 6 ) * 3 0d3P0 0dO
4nife
Bone
0
9 c! 0J6 S *JS 6 0d6 0d6
Stone
0
: c! 0J6 S *JS 6 0d6 0d6
Lasso
3
: s! 9 L F 07 F F
)ain<gauche
0
9 g! 6 S *JS 6 0d3 0d9
#et
3
: g! 07 ) F 07 F F
#unchaku
0
0 g! 9 ) B 9 0dO 0dO
*olear,
#aginata
3,:
2 g! 07 L * ; 0d2 0d07
etsubo
3
6 g! ; L B ; 0d2 0d2
Sai
0
: s! 6 S *JB 6 0d3 0d6
Shuriken
0
9 s! 0 S * 6 0d3 0d3
S!ear, Long
9
&ne<8anded : g! 2 L * 2 0d2 0d2P0
-o<8anded
:
: g! 2 L * 2 6dO 9dO
S!ear, Stone
9
&ne<handed 2 c! : ) * O 0d3 0dO
-o<handed 2 c! : ) * O 0dO 6d3
Stiletto
0
: s! 0J6 S * 6 0d9 0d6
S-ord
Cutlass
0
06 g! 3 ) S : 0dO 0d2
Drusus
0
:7 g! 9 ) S 9 0dOP0 0d2P0
4atana
9
&ne<handed 077 g! O ) SJ* 3 0d07 0d06
-o<handed 077 g! O ) SJ* 3 6dO 6dO
(a!ier
0
0: g! 3 ) * 3 0dOP0 0d2P0
Sabre
0
0; g! : ) S 3 0dOP0 0d2P0
Waki"ashi
6
:7 g! 9 ) SJ* 9 0d2 0d2
0
his -ea!on is intended for one<handed use, and ,ay not be used t-o<handed.
6
his -ea!on is intended for one<handed use, but ,ay be used t-o<handed.
9
his -ea!on is intended for one<handed or t-o<handed use.
3
his -ea!on is intended for t-o<handed use only.
:
his -ea!on inflicts double da,age -hen fir,ly set to receive a charge.
O
he Ly!eL category is divided into Bludgeoning MBN, *iercing M*N, and Slashing MSN.
his indicates the ty!e of attack ,ade, -hich ,ay alter the -ea!on@s effectiveness against
different ty!es of ar,or. See the o!tional rule in the *layer@s 8andbook, !age 17.
3olas
he bolas are three balls attached to ro!es or cords about a yard in lengthI the other
ends of the cords are tied together in a knot. he -ielder of the bolas -hirls the, by the
knot and thro-s the, at a targetI if they hit, they -ra! around the target, -ith the balls
s,ashing !ainfully into the target as they connect. &nce they have -ra!!ed the,selves
around a target, it takes the victi, one full round and a successful ability check vs.
Strength to get the, free. M+f the character fails his Strength check, he does not get the
bolas free this round.N
his -ea!on does only a little da,age, but it is es!ecially useful if you are using the
8it Locations rules fro, the Combat #ules cha!ter.
+f the attacker ,akes a Called Shot to the target@s Legs Mhe doesn@t have to s!ecify
-hichI if the attack hits, it hits bothN, and successfully attacks, the bolas -ra! the,selves
tightly around his legs. 8e can no longer run or -alk until he gets the, free. 8e ,ust
,ake a De5terity check Dust to avoid falling do-n. +n fact, if he -as ,oving -hen the
attack -as ,ade, he suffers a =9 !enalty to his De5terity check to avoid falling do-n.
+f the attacker ,akes a Called Shot to the target@s Ar,s Magain, he doesn@t have to
s!ecifyI both -ill be hitN and successfully attacks, the bolas -ra! the,selves tightly around
his ar,s and torso. 8e cannot -ield his -ea!on and does not get the AC bonus of his
shield until he gets hi,self free. 8is roll to free hi,self is at a =6 !enalty to his Strength
ability score because he has no leverage.
+f the attacker ,akes a Called Shot to the target@s 8ead, the bolas -ra! the,selves
around the target@s neck and begin strangling hi,. Mhis does not -ork if the character -as
-earing a Close<Aaced 8el, or a %reat 8el,, described later this cha!ter.N he bolas do
the listed da,age on the round they hit. hereafter, on each successive round -here they
begin the round still on the victi,@s throat, they do 0d9 h! of da,age fro, strangulation.
he da,age sto!s -hen they are re,oved or -hen the target is dead.
Wea!on !roficiency -ith the Bolas is not related to any other -ea!on !roficiency.
S!eciali"ation grants the usual benefits. +n case of a Called Shot to the target@s head, the
da,age bonus only a!!lies to the initial hitI it is not added to the subseEuent rounds of
strangulation.
Any leather-orker or -ea!ons,ith can ,ake a set of bolas . . . but he ,ust have e5act
,easure,ents for the cords and e5act -eights for the balls to do it right. Si,!ly hearing
such a -ea!on described, the crafts,an can ,ake so,ething like it . . . but unless he
,akes his crafts,an ability check by 9 or better, the -ea!on he ,akes -ill be
!ro!ortioned -rong and -ill be at a =3 to attack rolls.
Cests
he cestus is a glovelike -ea!on, studded -ith shar! s!ikes and edges on the back of
the glove and across the knuckles. %ladiators fighting -ith the cestus usually -ear t-o,
one on each hand Mthe !lural is cestiNI here, it !ays for a gladiator to have Cestus Wea!on
S!eciali"ation, -o<Wea!on Style S!eciali"ation, andJor *unching S!eciali"ation.
Cestus co,bat is very !o!ular -ith arena cro-ds because it is e5tre,ely bloody and
u!<close. Also, because the -ea!ons do co,!aratively little da,age, the fighters tend to
last a long ti,e in co,bat.
When -earing a cestus or t-o cesti, a character ,ay still ,ake a %rab ,aneuver -ith
the hand the cestus is on. his attack -ill be at a =6 to attack rolls for clu,siness, and a =6
to the attacker@s Strength Mfor !ur!oses of holding onN like-ise.
Cestus, because it is si,!ly a bonus to !unching<ty!e attacks, does not reEuire
-ea!on !roficiencyI anyone can use cesti -ith no !roficiency !enalty. herefore,
S!eciali"ation -ith Cestus costs only -ea!on !roficiency slot.
+n a culture -here there is gladiatorial co,bat, cesti are readily available fro,
-ea!ons,iths, but they are not e5!orted, as they@re such a basic -ea!on the ,arket is not
very good. Any foreign -ea!ons,ith -ho has cesti described to hi, can ,ake !erfectly
functional cestiI the first t-o cesti he ,akes -ill be at t-ice the listed cost, and subseEuent
ones -ill be at the listed cost.
Drss
he Drusus is a %ladius Mshort s-ordN of E5ce!tional Euality Mas !er the ty!es of
-ea!on Euality described in the Chara"ter Creation cha!ter of this rule bookN. +t looks
Dust like an ordinary gladiusI only by testing the shar!ness of the blade can so,eone tell
the difference. he Drusus has been forged so that the ,etal is better<te,!ered and holds
an edge better, and then shar!ened until it has a ra"or<like edge.
Because of this, it does P0 da,age and confers a non<,agical P0 to attack rolls over
the nor,al gladius. Mhis ,eans the -ielding character gets a P0 to attack rolls -hen
using the -ea!on, but the -ea!on does not give hi, the ability to hit ,onsters -hich
reEuire ,agical -ea!ons to affect.N
he Drusus also has a disadvantage. +n order to kee! its keen edge, it ,ust be
regularly shar!ened -ith a lot ,ore attention and ti,e than an ordinary -ea!on reEuires.
After any day in -hich the Drusus has been fought -ith Meven one attackTN, so,eone -ith
either the Ar,orer or Wea!ons,ith secondary skill, or the Blacks,ithing, Ar,orer, or
Wea!ons,ithing non-ea!on !roficiency, ,ust shar!en the blade for half an hour . . . or,
on the ne5t day, it -ill act as an ordinary short s-ord Mlosing its to<hit and da,age bonusN
until it is so shar!ened.
E5!osure to high heat Ma s,ith@s forge, dragon@s breath, lava, etc.N -ill ruin the te,!er
on a Drusus, turning it into an ordinary short s-ord and forever destroying its bonus on
attack and da,age rolls.
he Drusus uses the sa,e -ea!on !roficiency as the short s-ord. +f a character can
use a short s-ord, he can use a Drusus -ith eEual !roficiency. Wea!on s!eciali"ation -ith
one does transfer to the other.
+n cultures -here there are gladiators, any -ea!ons,ith -ith a -ea!ons,ithing ability
check of 03 or better can ,ake a Drusus for the cost sho-n. hese -ea!ons are seldo,
e5!orted, as local de,and is high for the fe- ,ade. A foreign -ea!ons,ith could not
,ake one ,erely if it -ere described to hi,I he -ould have to study -ith a local
-ea!ons,ith. 8aving done so, he could ,ake the -ea!on.
;asso
he lasso, or lariat, is a length of ro!e -ith a loo! at the endI the -ielder holds the
slack in his off<hand, t-irls the lasso in his other hand, and hurls the loo! at his target. &n
a successful hit, the lariat settles over the target, giving the -ielder the chance to dis,ount
hi,, !ull hi, to the ground, tri! hi,, etc.
+n other -ords, -hen you attack so,eone -ith a lasso, you ,ust declare -hat you@re
trying to acco,!lish -ith the attack.
+f you@re trying to tri! hi,, you@re trying to ,ake the loo! settle about his legs. his
reEuires a Called Shot at the legs as !er the 8it Locations section of the Combat #ules
cha!ter.
+f you hit, he ,ust ,ake a De5terity ability roll, -ith the usual ,odifiers for the
*ullJri! ,aneuverI if he fails, he falls, and if he succeeds, he@s able to Du,! out of your
loo! before it closes.
+f you@re trying to !in his ar,s to his sides, you@re trying to ,ake the loo! settle about
his torso and ar,s. his reEuires a Called Shot at the ar,s as !er the 8it Locations section
of the Combat #ules cha!ter.
+f you hit, he ,ust ,ake a Strength ability roll, again -ith the usual ,odifiers for
*ullJri!. +f he succeeds, he shrugs the loo! off before you can !ull it taut. +f he fails, you
!ull the loo! taut. Both of his ar,s are !inned, as in the *in ,aneuver. he target gets to
struggle each round, also as !er the *in ,aneuver rules. Each additional lasso that hits the
target to !in hi, gives hi, a =3 to his Strength ability for !ur!oses of his struggling.
When his Strength reaches 7, he has no chance of esca!ing.
+f you@re trying to dis,ount a rider, you@re trying to ,ake the loo! settle about his
torsoFand then brace yourself for the i,!act M-hen his ,ount@s ,ove,ent reaches the
end of your ro!e, both you and he are going to be DarredN. his doesn@t reEuire a Called
ShotH Cou ,ust ,erely hit your target nor,ally.
+f you hit, both you and the unfortunate rider ,ust no- ,ake Strength ability rolls. +f
he rolls his better than you roll yours, the lasso is torn fro, your hands and you take 0d6
da,age. +f you roll yours better than he rolls his, you yank hi, fro, his saddle and he
takes 0d9 fro, i,!act -ith the lasso and the earth. +f you both ,ake your roll by the sa,e
a,ount, then both results occurI the lasso is yanked fro, your hands, doing 0d6 to you,
and he@s yanked fro, his horse, taking 0d9. M+ncidentally, if you@ve had ti,e to tie your
ro!e to an absolutely stationary obDect, like a boulder, you don@t have to roll against your
Strength abilityI you -in this contest unless your target rolls a 0, in -hich case the ro!e
breaks and he can ride off laughing.N
+f you@re trying to lasso a target@s head Mfor e5a,!le, -hen you@re u! in a tree and your
target is an unsus!ecting guard -alking belo-N, this is a Called Shot to his 8ead as !er the
usual rules.
+f, after the ,odifiers, you still hit, you can yank for 0d9 da,age M!lus your Strength
bonusN. &n subseEuent rounds, you can yank for 0 !oint of da,age each M!lus your
Strength bonusN. But if you@re in a !osition to hoist your target u! in the air Mfor instance,
if you@re u! on a tree<branch, lasso your victi,, and then dro! off the branch on the other
side, holding onto the ro!e to hoist your victi, u!N, you do your victi, 0d3 !oints of
strangulation da,age !er round MStrength bonus does not a!!ly to thisN. +f he can get his
knife free and cut hi,self loose, that@s good for hi,I if not, it@s good for you. While
strangling, a victi, cannot shout or raise the alar,.
+f you@re trying to dro! your loo! around the head of a ,ounted rider . . . -ell, it@s
difficult, but !ossible. )ake it as a standard Called Shot to the head.
+f you hit, you ,ust again ,ake your Strength ability check. +f he -ins it, he takes 0d3
da,age fro, the i,!act of the lasso around his neck going tautFbut the lasso is still
yanked fro, your hand, doing 0d6 to you, and he can ride off. +f you -in it, he takes 6dO
da,age fro, the i,!act, another 0d9 fro, hitting the ground, and he@s dis,ounted. +f you
both ,ake it by an eEual a,ount, he takes 0d3, is dis,ounted and takes an additional 0d9,
and you take 0d6 fro, the lasso being yanked out of your hands. M+f, in this e5a,!le,
you@ve had ti,e to tie the other end of your lasso to an absolutely stationary obDect, your
target still gets his roll. &n a 0, the ro!e breaks and he takes 0d3 da,age. &ther-ise, he@s
auto,atically dis,ounted and takes 9dO da,age.
Such a ,aneuver, hard as it is to set u!, could easily break so,eone@s neck, killing hi,
instantly.N
+n the chart above, the lasso -as listed as a large -ea!on because of the a,ount of
s!ace it takes to t-irl and -ield it.
Cou cannot !erfor, a *arry or Disar, -ith the lasso, or use it as a ,elee -ea!on for
*inFonly at range.
Lasso reEuires its o-n -ea!on !roficiency, -hich is not related to any other -ea!on
!roficiency. Wea!on s!eciali"ation gives you the nor,al P0 to attack rolls -ith the lasso
and P6 da,age on all da,aging effects of the lasso Mstrangulation after the initial hit is still
only 0d3, not 0d3P6N.
Cultures -ith gladiators are not the only ones -hich co,e u! -ith the lasso.
Civili"ations -hich de!end heavily on herd<beasts often have the lasso as a -ea!on. +n
so,e cultures, the lasso is a favorite -ea!on of assassins. +t@s u! to the D) to deter,ine if
the lasso is a -ea!on of the !layer<characters@ culture.
+f it is not, a *C need only train -ith so,eone -ho has !roficiency -ith the -ea!on
Mand the *C ,ust have a free -ea!on !roficiency slotN in order to learn ho- to ,ake and
use the lasso.
Net
he gladiators@ net consists of a s,all M2@ to 06@ dia,eterN circular net -ith -eights
around the edge and a trailing ro!e used for control. Custo,arily, it is folded in such a
,anner that it -ill t-irl o!en -hen thro-nI the gladiator thro-s it -ith one hand, kee!ing
a gri! on the trailing ro!e -ith the other.
+f the gladiator ,akes his attack roll, he has a *in ,aneuver on his target Msee the rules
for *in ,aneuver fro, the Combat #ules cha!terN. All the notes on *in a!!ly here, e5ce!t
oneH the netted character ,ay not ,ake any sort of attack on the netter until he@s -on a
Strength ability check and thro-n that net off.
&n the round after the gladiator has netted his o!!onent, he has a choice of -hat he
-ants to do.
8e can hold onto the trailing ro!e -ith his off<hand Min order to ,aintain the *inN, !ull
out another -ea!on -ith his free hand, and attack his !rey -ith that -ea!on. Eventually,
his !rey -ill !robably -in a Strength ability check and shrug that net offI in the ,eanti,e,
the gladiator ,ay get several rounds of unreturned attack on hi,.
Alternatively, he can try to i,!rove his hold on the target. By continuing to loo! the
trailing ro!e around his victi,, he can i,!rove the ca!ture until the victi, has no chance
of esca!e. o do this, he ,ust ,ake an ordinary roll to<hit against his victi,@s AC each
round. &n each successful hit, the victi, loses 3 !oints of effective Strength for !ur!oses
of breaking free of the net. +f the victi, -ins a Strength ability check against his ca!tor
before his Strength dro!s to 7, he breaks free Mand his Strength is nor,al for all other
!ur!osesN. +f he fails, and his Strength is brought do-n to 7, he is ho!elessly en,eshed in
the net and cannot get out until his ca!tor lets hi,.
When a gladiator thro-s a net and ,isses, it is o!en and unfolded. hat doesn@t ,ean
he can no longer fight -ith it . . . but it is not as accurate, because it@s not folded right.
Each subseEuent attack roll -ith the unfolded net is at a =9 to attack rolls.
With a !ro!erly<folded net, an attacker can !erfor, Disar,, *arry and *in ,aneuvers.
&nce a net is unfolded, such attacks are at a =9 to attack rolls.
Wea!on !roficiency -ith the net also give you the ability to fold the net !ro!erly, and
to ,ake fighting<nets. Wea!on S!eciali"ation gives you the nor,al P0 to attack rollsI
since it cannot give you a P6 to da,age Mthe net doing no da,ageN, you get that P6 as a
bonus to your Strength -hen you@re ,aking Strength ability checks against netted !rey.
Cultures -ith gladiatorial co,bat do e5!ort such -ea!ons, and the kno-ledge of their
use Mgladiators do de,onstrations and e5hibitions in foreign ca!itals all the ti,eN. Also,
cultures -ith no kno-ledge of gladiatorial co,bat inde!endently develo! the net -ea!on
skillI at the D)@s discretion, any character -ith the Savage -arrior kit, the 8unter
secondary skill or 8unting non-ea!on !roficiency, or any good rationale could s!end a
-ea!on !roficiency slot to learn the use of the net.
Pirate *ea!ons
he -orld of !iracy doesn@t de,and that !irates use any s!ecific -ea!ons . . . but for
reasons of tradition and convenience, so,e s!ecific -ea!ons are very co,,on to !irate
cre-s.
+n addition to the ne- -ea!ons on the chart above, !irates are readily fa,iliar -ithH
Battle a5e, Bo- Mall ty!esN, Club, Crossbo- Mall nor,ally<available ty!esN, DaggerJDirk,
8andJthro-ing a5e, 8ar!oon, Javelin, 4nife, *olear,JA-l !ike, *olear,J*artisan,
Scourge M,ostly for disci!linary !ur!osesN, Sling, S!ear, S-ord Mall but 4ho!eshN,
rident, and Whi! Malso ,ostly for disci!linary !ur!osesN.
Additionally, the -orld of the *irate overla!!ed that of the S-ashbuckler to a
considerable degree. With the D)@s !er,ission Mand there@s usually little reason to deny itN,
*irates ,ay have access to all the -ea!ons listed on the chart above and descri!tions
belo- for S-ashbucklers.
he ne- -ea!ons for *irates includeH
Ctlass
he cutlass is a short, heavy s-ord, shar! along only one edge, -ith a heavy basket
hilt Ma !rotective cu!N around the hilt to !rotect the hand.
he cutlass@ basket hilt !rovides the follo-ing benefitsH it gives the -ielder a P0 to
attack rolls -ith the *arry ,aneuverI and it -orks Dust the sa,e as an iron gauntlet if the
-ielder -ishes to !unch so,eone -ith the hilt rather than slash -ith the blade. MSee the
Player's Handbook. !ages 1;<12. Bare<hand attacks do 0d6 da,age, !lus strength bonus,
and the other effects of !unching fro, the chart on !age 1;I ,etal gauntlets and other
,etal hand<!rotection ,akes that 0d9 !lus strength bonus and !unching effects. #oteH An
enchanted cutlass, say a "utlass =6, does not confer the P0 to attack rolls and da,age
-ith these basket<hilt !unches . . . only -ith blade attacks.N
*roficiency -ith Cutlass is related to !roficiency -ith short s-ord, daggerJdirk,
knifeJstiletto, and ,ain<gauche. Wea!on S!eciali"ation -ith Cutlass is nor,al, e5ce!t that
you also get the P0 to attack rolls and P6 da,age -ith those basket<hilt !unches.
+n a ca,!aign -ith !irates, cutlasses are co,,on and readily available in any !ort
co,,unityI they are ,uch less co,,on inland.
3elayin& Pin
he belaying !in is a short rod of -ood or ,etal. +t@s inserted in a hole bored through
the shi!@s rail, and shi!@s ro!es are ,ade fast MtiedN to it. +t can also be yanked free and
brought in violent contact -ith ene,iesI in a !irate fight, anyone -ho loses a -ea!on or
starts out -ithout one ends u! -ith a belaying !in in his hand.
Wea!on !roficiency -ith Belaying *in is related to clubs and ,acesI if you have
!roficiency -ith club or ,ace, you take only a =0 -hen using a belaying !in you don@t
have !roficiency for. Wea!on s!eciali"ation -ith belaying !in gives the usual benefits.
Belaying !ins are very available on any shi!I you can get any nu,ber of the, at a
seaside to-n or city, es!ecially at a shi!builder@s, a -arehouse, or a business that su!!lies
shi!s.
Ga))6Hook
he gaff is a ,etal hook -ith a -ooden or ,etal crossbar at the baseI it@s held in one
hand, the hook !rotruding bet-een the ,iddle and ring fingers, and nor,ally used to hook
and land fish.
8o-ever, like the belaying !in, it@s in ready su!!ly onboard a shi!. Also, ,any !irates
-ho lose a hand have a cu! -ith a gaff on it attached to the stu,!, and so al-ays have a
-ea!on Lon handLFone that can@t be dro!!ed or Disar,ed.
*roficiency -ith the gaff is not related to any other !roficiency. S!eciali"ation grants
the usual benefits.
Sa"rai *ea!ons
he e5otic, oriental -orld features ,any -ea!ons -hich are strange to -estern
eyes . . . including the eyes of the *Cs in ,ost ca,!aigns.
)any of these -ea!ons si,!ly look a little different and bear different na,es. &ld,
fa,iliar -ea!ons -ith slightly changed for,s and na,es includeH the Battle a5e, 8and a5e,
Dagger MtantoN, 8alberd, Javelin, Light lance, )ace, *ike, S!ear, Long s-ord, Short
s-ord, -o<handed s-ord Mno<daichiN, and rident. hese -ea!ons have ga,e
characteristics identical to the nor,al versions, and !roficiency -ith the co,,on -ea!on
-orks Dust as -ell -ith the ,ore e5otic version.
he ne- sa,urai<society -ea!ons listed in the chart above includeH
3o Sti(k
he bo stick is an ordinary hard-ood staff, the height of a ,an or slightly taller.
Bo stick shares a !roficiency -ith Kuarterstaff. +f you can use one, you can use the
other. Mhis doesn@t ,ean that the t-o styles are identicalI an oriental bo stick fighter looks
very different in co,bat than a -estern Euarterstaff co,batant. But if they traded
-ea!ons, they@d be Dust as good -ith the other guy@s -ea!on . . . each in his o-n style.N
Wea!on s!eciali"ation in bo stick gives you the usual advantages.
Bo sticks are co,,on every-hereI any O@ or ;@ hard-ood -alking staff is a bo staff. o
use it as such, ho-ever, you have to have the bo stickJEuarterstaff -ea!on !roficiency.
he !ri,ary difference bet-een the -ea!ons, and the reason the Euarterstaff does ,ore
da,age against Large ,onsters, is that the co,bat Euarterstaff has iron<shod, even lead<
-eighted ends. MA Euarterstaff -hich does not have these features should do da,age
identical to the bo stick.N
C$ain
his -ea!on is a O@ or 07@ length of chain -ith -eights at both ends. +n co,bat, it@s
-hirled very fast, the -eighted end inflicting the da,age on the target.
he chain co,bines so,e of the useful traits of ,elee -ea!ons and the lasso. Cou can
attack -ith it for nor,al Called Shots, Disar,, *arry, and StrikeJhrust ,aneuvers.
Additionally, you can !erfor, three of the lasso@s five s!ecial functionsH *ullJri! by
striking at a target@s legs, Dis,ount a (ider, and Snag a (ider@s 8ead.
he chain is easy to conceal, and Mat least in -estern landsN is not usually recogni"ed
as a -ea!on until -ielded as one.
he chain reEuires its o-n -ea!ons !roficiency, -hich is not related to any other
-ea!on. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the usual bonuses.
Chains are to be found in any civili"ation -ith the technological skill to ,ake the,
Mthis includes ,ost AD&D ca,!aign settingsN, but the techniEue of fighting -ith the, is
,ostly an eastern<culture develo!,ent. A character -ould have to study -ith a
!ractitioner of the techniEue, and be able to s!end a -ea!on !roficiency slot, in order to
learn ho- to use the -ea!on.
Daiky
he daikyu is the great sa,urai longbo-. +t@s ;@ long Mhence its si"e designation of LN.
+ts hand<gri! is not in the center of the -ea!onI it@s located closer to the botto,, so the
daikyu can be fired fro, horseback and fro, kneeling !ositions.
As -ith other bo-s, the daikyu can be used to !erfor, the Called Shot, Disar,, 8old
Attack, and StrikeJhrust Mi.e., shootN ,aneuvers.
he daikyu and katana are the t-o !rinci!al -ea!ons of the sa,urai.
he daikyu reEuires its o-n -ea!ons !roficiency. +t is related to, but not identical to,
other bo- !roficiencies. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits.
he daikyu is not e5!orted fro, eastern nations. 8o-ever, it is a si,!le task, if you
are in such a nation, to co,,ission the ,aking of one. A -estern bo-yer -ould have to
have studied in the east to ,ake one.
+atana
he katana is the sa,urai@s s-ord. +t@s a ,ediu,<length, slightly curved blade -ith no
Euillions Monly a s,all, circular guardN and a hilt suitable for one<handed and t-o<handed
use. he blade is shar!ened only along one edge and at the ti!, but it is shar!ened to a
ra"or@s edge. +t is forged -ith a s!ecial techniEue kno-n only in the east, -here layers of
steel and iron are sand-iched, heated, folded, stretched, re<folded, stretched, re<folded, on
and on until the blade consists of ,icrosco!ically thin layers of alternating ,etals,
!roviding strength, resilience, and the ability to hold a re,arkable edge. his is -hy the
katana has the e5cellent s!eed and da,age listed for the -ea!on.
he katana reEuires its o-n -ea!on !roficiency, -hich is related to the bastard
s-ordJlong blades grou!. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits.
4atanas are very !ersonalI a sa,urai is dishonored if he loses his, and so very fe- are
lost. his ,eans that it is very hard to get one in the -est, other than by taking it fro, its
o-nerFa difficult task. +n the east, a character ,ight be -illing to co,,ission one fro, a
-ea!ons,ith, for the listed !rice . . . if he gets a good reaction roll fro, the #*C. MAn
ordinary -ea!ons,ith could not ,ake one. he blade<,aking techniEue reEuires study in
the east and the learning of a s!eciali"ed individual -ea!ons,ithing non-ea!on
!roficiency.N
Also, a hero -ho does a favor or !erfor,s a ,ission for an eastern lord ,ight be
a-arded a ,atched set of katana and -aki"ashi, if he@s very luckyI this -ould be a high
honor.
Na&inata
his is a !olear,, a O@ to 2@ shaft -ith a curved, s-ord<like blade at the end. +t@s the
favored -ea!on of the fe,ale fighters of the orient, but they are not li,ited to it, nor is it
li,ited to the,.
#aginata !roficiency is related to all other !olear,s. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the
usual benefits.
#aginatas are readily available in oriental !orts, and such -ea!ons are readily
e5!orted, if the D) says there is a ,arket for the,.
Nn($ak
he nunchaku consists of t-o lengths of hard -ood connected by a short length of
chain or ro!e.
he -ea!on can be used to !erfor, Called Shots, Disar,, *arry, and StrikeJhrust
,aneuvers.
#unchaku reEuires its o-n !roficiency, -hich is not related to any other -ea!ons
!roficiency Mincluding flailsN. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits. )asters of
the -ea!on often have -ea!on s!eciali"ation in nunchaku and Style S!eciali"ation in
-o<Wea!ons Style, giving the, the ability to fight effectively -ith nunchaku in either
hand. he only -ay to acEuire this !roficiency is to study -ith so,eone -ho already has
the !roficiency, and to have a !roficiency slot available to s!end on nunchaku.
#unchaku are readily available in oriental !orts, and such -ea!ons are e5!ortedI
-estern collectors are Euite enthusiastic about the,, even if these collectors usually
cannot use the,.
Sai
his is a short, defensive -ea!on, consisting of a ,etal bar -ith a hilt, and oversi"ed
u!-ard<curving Euillions. When used by so,eone -ith !roficiency in the -ea!on, sai
confer a P0 to attack rolls bonus -hen using the *in and Disar, ,aneuvers.
+n the chart at the start of this cha!ter, the Sai is listed as having t-o ty!es of da,ageH
* M!iercingN and B MbludgeoningN. hat@s not Euite rightI the nor,al sai is only a
Bludgeoning<da,age -ea!on. 8o-ever, certain -arriors !refer for it to be a shar!
stabbing -ea!on, so the da,age ,ay be *iercing instead. A sai ,ay only have one ty!e of
da,age, not both.
Sai reEuires its o-n !roficiency, -hich is not related to any other. Wea!on
s!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits. o learn the !roficiency, one ,ust study -ith
so,eone -ho has it, and the character ,ust have a -ea!on !roficiency slot to s!end.
)any -arriors !roficient in the sai take Style S!eciali"ation in -o<Wea!on techniEue
and utili"e t-in sai in co,bat.
Sai are readily available in oriental !orts, and are e5!orted.
S$riken
Shuriken, often called thro-ing stars, are s,all thro-n -ea!ons. hey do as ,uch
da,age as a thro-n dagger, and are considerably ,ore concealable. &rna,ental shuriken
can often be -orn as De-elry and not recogni"ed as -ea!ons, and a !ocketful of shuriken
-eigh no ,ore than ,any other single -ea!ons.
8o-ever, shuriken reEuire their o-n -ea!on !roficiency, -hich is not related to any
other. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits. o learn shuriken !roficiency, one
,ust study -ith so,eone -ho has it, and ,ust have a -ea!on !roficiency slot to s!end.
Shuriken are available in oriental !orts, but ,ost occidental collectors don@t kno- ho-
to use the,.
#etsbo
he tetsubo is a long -alking<staff, its u!!er end shod -ith studded iron stri!s.
+ts -ea!on !roficiency is related to other !olear,sI s!eciali"ation confers the usual
benefits.
etsubos can be had in oriental ,arkets, but none are e5!orted because it is a
relatively si,!le -ea!on to ,ake.
*aki9as$i
he -aki"ashi is the short<s-ord co,!anion of the katana. +ts blade is forged the sa,e
-ay, and the -ea!on looks like a shorter version of the katana. +t is often !art of a
,atched set -ith the katana, and is of al,ost eEual i,!ortance as the katana to the
sa,urai. &nly sa,urai can -ear both katana and -aki"ashi.
Waki"ashi !roficiency is related to short s-ord. S!eciali"ation confers the usual
benefits. )any sa,urai fight -ith the katana in one hand and -aki"ashi in the other, in
t-o<-ea!on techniEue, and so,e learn the t-o<-ea!on style s!eciali"ation to further
i,!rove their ability -ith this style.
Waki"ashis are as hard to co,e by as katanas.
Note
he AD&D ga,e su!!le,ent ?riental Ad*entures describes ,any, ,any other
-ea!ons and !rovides a lot of resource ,aterial for oriental characters and ca,!aigns. A
certain a,ount of conversion is reEuired, as the su!!le,ent -as -ritten for the first<
edition ga,e.
Sa.a&e *ea!ons
he lu,! ter, LsavagesL is being used here to refer to any nu,ber of different ty!es
of !eo!le. hey have in co,,on these traitsH hey@re not as technologically advanced as
the nor,al !eo!les of the ca,!aign, though so,e do ,ake -ea!ons of bron"e or ironI
and they@re !robably hunter<gatherers -ho have not yet e,braced the agricultural
revolution. And that@s really all they have to have in co,,on. LSavagesL ,ight be highly
cultured, artistic, !eaceful !eo!les, but if they have dirt floors or flint<ti!!ed -ea!ons, the
rest of the -orld calls the, savage. Aor our !ur!oses, LsavagesL enco,!asses #eanderthal
,an, &ld Stone Age Cro,agnon, and #e- Stone Age ,odern ,en.
Stereoty!ical savages kno- the follo-ing -ea!onsH Blo-gun M,ostly Dungle tribesN,
Long and Short bo- Mno co,!osite bo-sN, Club, Dagger, 8andJhro-ing A5e, Javelin,
4nife, Sling, and S!ear.
De!ending on their level of technological develo!,ent, they ,ay ,ake their -ea!ons
Mincluding arro-heads, s!ear<heads, etc.N out of iron, bron"e, stone or even bone.
Aor our !ur!oses, iron and bron"e -ea!ons have the sa,e characteristics as steel
-ea!onsI it@s not -orth generating all<ne- -ea!on stats for the slight ga,e<,echanic
differences.
Stone and bone -ea!ons, on the other hand, reEuire their o-n statistics, -hich is -hy
they@re re!resented on the -ea!on chart at the to! of the cha!ter.
Stone *ea!ons
Stone -ea!ons are used Dust like their ,odern counter!arts, but are -orth less ,oney,
do less da,age, and are ,ore !rone to shattering.
he da,ages and costs Mshould so,e ever be sold on the ,arketN for these -ea!ons
are given on the chart above.
Stone -ea!ons have a chance of breaking every ti,e they hit and do da,age. Every
ti,e a stone -ea!on successfully hits a target, the !layer ,ust roll 0dO. (egardless of the
roll, this attack does its full da,age, but on a roll of 0 on the 0dO, the -ea!on or -ea!on<
head shatters and is useless.
3one *ea!ons
Bone -ea!ons are like-ise used like their ,odern counter!arts, but are -orth even
less ,oney, can only be used -ith s,aller stabbing -ea!ons Mknives and daggersN, and
shatter even ,ore readilyFon a roll of 0 or 6 on 0dO.
Ot$er Uses )or Stone and 3one *ea!ons
%enerally, no one in his right ,ind is going to trade in nice, ,odern steel -ea!ons for
bone or stone counter!arts. But characters don@t al-ays have the choice.
Characters -ith the Savage -arrior kit start out -ith the level of -ea!ons the D)
decides for hi,H L)odern,L stone or bone. +n a ca,!aign -here ,ost savages are si,!ly
hunter<gatherers -ho live at a certain distance fro, the *Cs@ culture, but -ho trade and
interact -ith the,, ,odern -ea!ons are fine. When the savage culture is far a-ay and
,ore technologically !ri,itive, stone -ea!ons are ,ore a!!ro!riate. +f the savages are
su!!osed to be very !ri,itive indeed, bone -ea!ons are the !ro!er choice. +n all
likelihood, these savage characters, reaching ,ore advanced lands and seeing ho- ,uch
,ore da,age ,ore ,odern -ea!ons -ill do, -ill ,ake the s-itch. . . though they@re likely
to stick to the types of -ea!ons they kno- best Ms!ears, bo-s, daggers, etc.N.
(e,e,ber, though, that the "lub is the sa,e -ea!on regardless of technological
advance,entI the surliest cave,an can ,ake a club that has the -ea!on stats of the ,ost
,odern baseball bat.
Also, !layer<characters ,ight find the,selves stri!!ed of -ea!ons and cast adrift in
the -ilderness. +f they -ant -ea!ons, they@ll have to ,ake the,, !ossibly of stone or
bone. Aor these !ur!oses, too, the -ea!on stats above can be useful.
S5as$b(kler *ea!ons
S-ashbuckler -ea!ons are light, fast -ea!ons used by lightly<ar,ored o!!onents,
usually in an environ,ent Ma culture, nation or even Dust a cityN -here heavier ar,s and
ar,or are illegal or outdated. hey@re also a!!ro!riate for shi!board ca,!aigns and
situationsI the light ar,or is easier to get out of so you don@t dro-n if you fall overboard.
So, usually, s-ashbucklers e,erge in an area -here the days of the !late<ar,ored,
broads-ord<-ielding knight are !ast . . . or at least nu,bered. S-ashbuckler characters
,ight bolt on the !late ,ail and !ick u! the lance for genuine -arfare, but in their
cos,o!olitan big<city adventures they stick to the lighter stuff . . . and can be sure that
,ost of the o!!onents they face -ill be like-ise ar,ed and ar,ored.
Wea!ons fro, the Player's Handbook -hich can be considered s-ashbuckler -ea!ons
includeH Bo-s Mall ty!esN, Crossbo-s Mall available ty!esN, DaggerJDirk, 4nife, *olear,s
Mall ty!esN, and Short S-ords. he only sorts of shields they use regularly are bucklers and
s,all shields, and they tend to -ear only leather, !added, and hide ar,or.
he ne- -ea!ons listed on the chart above includeH
Stiletto
he stiletto is a ty!e of narro-<bladed knife, shar! only at the !oint. +ts ,ost unusual
trait is that it confers a P6 Mnon<,agicalN bonus to attack rolls against certain ar,or ty!esH
*late ,ail Mbron"e and nor,alN, ring ,ail, and chain ,ail. Mhis is because its narro- !oint
and blade sli! in ,ore readily through any sort of ar,or that is not solid ,etal or
overla!!ing !lates of ,etal.N
+t other-ise behaves like any other knife, and 4nife -ea!on !roficiency is e5actly the
sa,e as Stiletto -ea!on !roficiencyH +f you kno- one, you kno- the other eEually -ell, at
no additional cost in !roficiency slots.
/ain,&a($e
he ,ain<gauche is a large<bladed dagger -ith a basket hilt Msee the descri!tion of
Cutlass, aboveN and large Euillions. hough it is a stabbing -ea!on, it@s !ri,arily a
defensive -ea!on -ielded in the left<hand in t-o<-ea!on techniEue Mor t-o<-ea!on style
s!eciali"ationN.
When used by so,eone -ith )ain<gauche -ea!on !roficiency, the -ea!on confers a
P0 bonus to attack rolls -ith the Disar, and *arry ,aneuvers. Because of its cutlass<like
basket hilt, the ,ain<gauche, too, -orks like an iron gauntlet if the -ielder -ishes to
!unch so,eone -ith the hilt rather than slash -ith the blade.
)ain<gauche !roficiency is related to, but not identical to, dagger !roficiency.
S!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits.
Ra!ier
he ra!ier is a long<bladed, one<handed s-ord, nor,ally shar! only at the !oint. +t@s a
thrusting -ea!on, -ielded -ith lightning<like thrusts and lunges. S-ashbucklers often
learn -o<Wea!on Style S!eciali"ation and use ra!ier -ith ra!ier, -ith ,ain<gauche, -ith
short s-ord, or -ith dagger, stiletto, or knife. +t@s also occasionally used -ith buckler.
(a!ier reEuires its o-n !roficiency, -hich is related to sabre !roficiencyFnot long
s-ord and its related -ea!ons. Wea!on s!eciali"ation confers the usual benefits.
Cou can have a ra!ier ,ade -ith a basket hilt. his adds 6 g! to the cost, P0 lb. to the
-eight, and confers the nor,al basket<hilt benefitsH P0 to attack rolls -ith *arry
,aneuver, and the iron<gauntlet benefit for *unching.
Sabre
he sabre is a light slashing -ea!on. +ts !ractitioners co,,only use only sabre, and
often take Single<Wea!on Style S!eciali"ation and Sabre Wea!on S!eciali"ation. hey are
very deadly -ith their blades and ,ay be inordinately !roud of the facial scars they
accu,ulate Mand deal outN.
Sabre reEuires its o-n !roficiency, -hich is related to ra!ier !roficiency.
Sabres, like cutlasses and ,ain<gauches, are ,ade -ith a basket hilt. his confers the
nor,al basket<hilt benefitsH P0 to attack rolls -ith *arry ,aneuver, and the iron<gauntlet
benefit for *unching.
Ne5 Ar"or
So,e of the ne- -arrior ty!es re!resented by the -arrior kits also have their o-n
s!ecial for,s of ar,orH the %ladiator and Sa,urai both introduce ne- for,s of ar,or to
the ca,!aign.
Gladiator Ar"or
here are three nor,al ty!es of gladiator ar,orH hracian, %allic, and Sa,nite.
Ar"or #y!e Class
hracian 1
%allic ;
Sa,nite :
hey@re all ,ade u! fro, several s,aller !ieces of ar,or, -hich includeH
*&t
Ar"or Pie(e Cost 0lbs1
BeltH
*rotective ,etal
belt at -aist 6 g! :
CuirassH
Leather or ,etal
chest !late :7 g! 67
AasciaeH
Leather bands
on legs 07 g! :
%aleaH
Visored 8el, 07 g! :
%alerusH
Shoulder !iece
on -ea!on
shoulder : g! 9
)anicaeH
Leather sleeve 07 g! :
)yrr,illoH
Visored hel,
rese,bling
sea fish 07 g! :
Also used by the gladiators are the parma Ma s,all shield, either sEuare or roundN and
s"utum Man oblong ,ediu, shieldN.
hese ar,or ty!es are na,ed for real<-orld sites Mhrace, %aul, and Sa,nosNI if you
have gladiators in your ca,!aign, you ,ay -ant to rena,e these ty!es according to !lace<
na,es ,ore a!!ro!riate to your setting.
#$ra(ian
he hracian gladiator -ears only fasciae on his legs. his gives hi, AC 1, or 2 -ith a
shieldFand he carries a shield, a !ar,a. +n gladiatorial co,bat, the hracian gladiator
fights only -ith a dagger. +n the field, adventuring, he could use anything he -ants.
Galli(
he %allic gladiator -ears the galea, the belt, ,anica on his -ea!on ar,, and fasciae.
his confers an AC of ;. 8e also carries a scutu,, to bring it to a O. he %allic gladiator
fights -ith any nu,ber of -ea!ons.
Sa"nite
he ,ost heavily<ar,ored ty!e of gladiator, the Sa,nite, -ears a cuirass, fasciae on
his legs, ,anica on his -ea!on ar,, and the galea hel,et. 8is basic AC is :, or 3 -ith the
scutu, he carries.
Should so,eone Dust -ear the cuirass, his base AC -ould be ;.
Sa"rai Ar"or
he ,ain difference bet-een oriental and occidental ar,or, fro, a ga,e<,echanics
!oint of vie-, is descri!tive. &riental ar,or is colorful and elaborately constructed, often
brightly ena,elled or decorated -ith !aint or !ainted leathers, silk cords, !recious<,etal
!lating, etc.
But fro, a ga,e<,echanic !oint of vie-, leather ar,or is leather ar,or, !late is !late.
Sa,urai -ear ar,or that is the eEuivalent of !added leather, studded leather, scale ,ail,
and brigandineI basic costs, -eights, and AC values are identical to the -estern ar,or
styles. 8o-ever, a sa,urai ,ay -ish to s!end ,ore than the ,ini,u, a,ount on his
ar,orI the e5tra ,oney goes into ,aking it a re,arkable e5a,!le of eastern art.
+ote
he sa,urai also have one sort of ar,or unkno-n to the -estH he kote. his is a !air
of ar,ored sleeves -hich ,ay be -orn concealed under the sa,urai@s tunic.
)echanically, the kote costs t-ice as ,uch as and acts al,ost the sa,e as a buckler.
here are a cou!le of differences bet-een buckler and kote, though. 4ote cannot be
Disar,ed, and you can use -ea!ons in the hands of the ar,s to -hich kote are attacked.
Although the kote consists of a !air of sleeves, you do not get a P6 bonus to ACI only the
P0 nor,ally conferred by a buckler.
E))e(ts o) Ar"or
8ere are so,e o!tional rules for use -ith the -earing of ar,or in your ca,!aign. Cou
,ay -ish to use so,e, all, or none of theseI -e@ll try to discuss -hat effects each -ill have
on your ca,!aign.
A lot of the infor,ation -e@ll be discussing and elaborating u!on is contained in the
follo-ing charts.
Ar"or AC De2 *&t
#y!e C$ks 0lbs1
Banded ,ail 3 =6 9:
Brigandine O =6 9:
Bron"e
!late ,ail 3 =9 3:
Chain ,ail : =6 37
Aield !late 6 =9 O7
Aull !late 0 =9 ;7
%ladiator
%allic ; =0 0:
Sa,nite : =6 97
hracian 1 7 :
8ide O =9 97
Leather 2 7 0:
*added 2 7 07
*late ,ail 9 =9 :7
(ing ,ail ; =0 :7
Scale ,ail O =6 97
Shield
Body G =9GG 0:
BucklerJ
4ote G =7GG 9
)ediu,J
Scutu, G =6GG 07
S,allJ
*ar,a G =0GG :
S!lint ,ail 3 =6 37
Studded
leather ; =0 6:
G A shield ,akes the AC one betterH Leather P shield is AC ;.
GG his !enalty is only counted for certain situationsI see belo-.
he ar,or a character -ears affects his AC, his Encu,brance Mif that o!tional syste,
is usedN, and also his ability to !erfor, de5terous actionsFin other -ords, heavier ar,or
!enali"es a character@s De5terity score for !ur!oses of De5terity ability checks and
De5terity<based non-ea!on !roficiencies.
A character@s choice of head !rotection, on the other hand, affects his Encu,brance,
his ability to s!ot things, and the ability of so,e -ea!ons and attacks to affect hi, in
co,bat, as -e@ll discuss further on.
Hel"et Vis8 Hr&8 *&t8
#y!e 0lbs1
Ca! =7 =0 6
Coif =7 =0 6
Close=Aaced =6 =9 :
%reat hel, =9 =3 07
#one =7 =7 7
&!en=Aaced =0 =6 :
E))e(ts On AC
he effects of ar,or on the characters@ AC are already -ell<docu,ented -ithin the
ga,e.
+n the ca,!aign, the only feature of the ar,orJAC syste, that tends to cause trouble
involves the shield. (e,e,ber that attacks to the character@s rear are ,ade at the
character@s AC (ithout the shield Munless he@s -earing it slung across his back, of courseNI
this is so,ething that is easy to forget. D)s, if they don@t kee! the infor,ation -ritten on
a hel!ful record sheet, should ask their !layersH LWhat@s your AC fro, the rearBL -hen
such incidents co,e u!, not Dust LWhat@s your ACBL
E))e(ts On S!eed
here@s a ,isconce!tion that ar,or, !articularly !late<ty!e ar,or, transfor,s graceful
-arriors into lu,bering oafs -ho can be !ushed do-n and sat u!on -ith co,!arative
ease.
#othing could be further fro, the truth. Ar,or is designed to be as acco,,odating as
!ossible to a fighter@s ,ove,ents, and so the AD&D ga,e doesn@t assign an ar,ored
-arrior any sort of initiative !enalty for -earing ar,or.
#o-, ar,or isn@t ,ade for so,e other ty!es of ,ove,ent Macrobatics, dancing, etc.N
and so -ill constrict ,any other De5terity<based abilities, as -e@ll discuss belo-. +t is also
heavy, -hich slo-s do-n an ar,ored character@s running s!eed, as is already docu,ented
in the ga,e.
E))e(ts On De2terity C$e(ks
Ar,or does interfere -ith a character@s gracefulness in ,any situations. Aor this
reason, -e assign the character a !enalty to De5terity checks Mand de5terity<based
non-ea!on !roficienciesN -hen the character is in ar,orI those !enalties are listed on the
ar,or chart above.
hese !enalties are a!!lied -hen the character is using all non-ea!on !roficiencies
e5ce!t (iding MLand<based or AirborneN or Charioteering, -hich are e5e,!t fro, the
!enalty. MWhy so,eone -ould be !erfor,ing ,any of those skills in ar,or is a
,ystery . . . but it could ha!!en.N
+n addition, the !enalty !rescribed for the shields is a!!lied -hen the character is using
the non-ea!on !roficiencies Juggling, ightro!e Walking and u,bling. Mhe D) ,ay
choose to disallo- the shield !enalty for certain e5a,!les of these skills@ use. Aor e5a,!le,
a character -ho is Duggling a one<handed techniEue -on@t be !ut off by having a shield on
the other hand. But these e5ce!tions -ill be rare.N
'n t$e Ca"!ai&n 8 8 8
hese de5terity<roll !enalties are !rovided only for those ga,ers to -ho, the ,atter
,eans so,ething. +f you don@t care about such things, don@t use these rulesH they@d ,erely
be an annoyance and e5tra co,!lication for you.
But if you !refer for a character to be a little less graceful -hen in full !late or hide
than in soft leather or no ar,or at all, these rules are for your ca,!aign.
E))e(ts On Vision and Hearin&
8el,s and hel,ets restrict vision and hearing. hey fra,e the face, obscure his vision,
,uffle his hearing, and generally give the character less ability to observe -hat@s going on
around hi,. Mhey also so,eti,es kee! ,aces fro, caving in his skull, -hich is -hy
fighters like hel,s and hel,ets.N
With these o!tional rules, -e@ll talk about different kinds of hel,s and hel,ets, ho-
they@re used, and -hat other effects they have in co,bat.
Ot$er Hel"s and Hel"ets
he ty!es of ar,or listed in the eEui!,ent section of the Player's Handbook, !age O1,
include only t-o ty!es of hel,et Mgreat hel, and basinetN and then don@t really describe
-hat the differences are bet-een the, . . . other than !rice and -eight.
+n The Complete Fighter's Handbook, -e@ll talk about si5 different ty!es of head
!rotection. Each one has different effects on the character@s ability to see things and to
!rotect hi,self fro, different ty!es of da,age.
*$at Head Prote(tion Doesn't Do
he one thing your choice of head !rotection doesn't do is change your Ar,or Class.
A -arrior can have on full !late and a great hel,, or full !late and no hel,et at all, and
he@ll have the sa,e AC. So -hen ,aking your choice of head !rotection for your
character, don@t -orry about the character@s AC, for it -on@t be affected.
Vision and Hearin& C$e(ks
+n a co,bat or any other loud situation Msuch as a raucous tavern, a charging ,ob, an
earthEuake, a hurricane, or a singing contest at a d-arven boiler<,aking !lantN, the D)
,ay -ant his *Cs to ,ake Vision and 8earing Checks in order to see and hear certain
things.
Certainly, -hen a fighter is !ointed in a certain direction, there@s nothing distracting
hi,, and an ogre is lu,bering at hi, fro, that direction, the fighter is going to see the
ogre. #o roll is necessary.
But -hen there@s a chance that the character could fail to notice such a thing Mas
defined by the D)N, the character gets to ,ake a Vision Check or a 8earing Check
M-hichever the situation calls forN.
A Vision or 8earing Check is a 0d67 roll against the character@s +ntelligence or
Wisdo,, -hichever is higher. +f the *C rolls his ability or less, he@s successfully ,ade his
check and can see or hear -hatever it is he@s su!!osed to. +f he fails, he doesn@t.
*rotective headgear, ho-ever, !rovides !enalties to the character@s Vision and 8earing
Checks, as -ell as !roviding other benefits and hindrances.
No Head Prote(tion
+f a character chooses to -ear no head !rotection at all, he suffers no Vision or
8earing check !enalties.
8o-ever, the character has one hindrance, if you@re using the o!tional hit location
rules fro, the Combat #ules cha!ter.
+f a character is -earing no head !rotection, an attacker can ,ake a Called Shot
against his head and thereby ignore the character@s AC benefits fro, ar,or. MAll bonuses
fro, shields, high De5terity scores, and ,agical ite,s still count, ho-ever.N Since this is a
very difficult shot Ma total =2 to attack rolls, re,e,berN, this doesn@t do the attacker ,uch
good, unless the victi, is other-ise heavily ar,ored.
!'ample- Hal(ay the ar"her has t(o possible targets. Territor and 1os<ue. t(o
brutal guards/ Territor is (earing leather armor and no headgear0 this puts him at AC B.
and (ith his De'terity bonus he's AC F/ 1os<ue is (earing )ull plate =. no headgear.
and body shield0 this puts him at AC >/
Hal(ay. a)ter all modi)iers )or range. his De'terity. and other )a"tors. is THAC7 6F/
3He's a Fth$le*el (arrior. (ith a De'terity o) 6F. and is )iring at Medium #ange/5
+) he shoots at Territor. AC F. he needs only a 36F>F5 67 or better to hit him/ +) he
shoots at Territor's unprote"ted head. the shot be"omes mu"h harder0 he's shooting at AC
B 3AC 67. > )or Territor's De'terity5. and so (ould normlly need a 36F>B5 B0 but (ith the
>B to atta"k rolls )or a head shot. he's ba"k to a roll o) 6F or better/ +t's easier )or him to
hit Territor (ith a normal. non$spe"i)i" shot/
+) he shoots at 1os<ue. AC >. he needs to roll an 36F>P>Q5 6B or better to hit him/ +)
he shoots at 1os<ue's unprote"ted head. the shot be"omes some(hat easier0 he's shooting
at AC G 3AC 67. modi)ied by 1os<ue's shield5. and so (ould normally need a 36F>G5 80
(ith the >B to atta"k rolls )or a head shot. he's up to a roll o) 69 or better/ This makes it
slightly easier to hit 1os<ue. and may gi*e him the spe"ial e))e"ts o) the head lo"ation
shot i) he su""eeds. so that's the shot he attempts/
he lo-er MbetterN a target@s AC is, the better an o!tion it is to try a head shot, i) his
head is unprote"ted and the rest o) his body is armored. Characters interested in this
o!tion should calculate the ,ath of both shots and co,!are the results, if they kno- all
the relative ACs and ,odifiersI if they don@t, they should ask the D), in general ter,s, if
it@s even -orth their ti,e to try such a shot.
#$e Ca!
he Ca! is a !added, leather or even steel skullca! -hich is about the si"e of and -orn
,uch like a close<fitting ca!, beret or hat. +t gives the -earer no !enalty for Vision
Checks, and a =0 !enalty -ith 8earing Checks Mas it !artially covers the earsN. +t@s often
-orn in conDunction -ith !added, leather, hide, studded leather, and other light-eight
ar,ors.
#$e Coi)
he Coif is a !added chain ,ail hoodI it fits fairly snugly around the neck and over all
the head e5ce!t the face fro, chin to forehead. Like the Ca!, it gives the -earer no
!enalty for Vision Checks and only a =0 !enalty -ith 8earing Checks. +t@s usually -orn
-ith chain ,ail.
&ften, a heavily<ar,ored knight -ill -ear a chain ,ail coif and -ear a %reat 8el,
o*er it. he only benefit this confers is that such a knight can re,ove his %reat 8el,, the
better to see and hear around hi,, and still have so,e head !rotection. As a disadvantage,
it adds a little -eight to the knight@s eEui!,ent, but it does not decrease his Vision and
8earing checks any further than Dust -earing the %reat 8el,.
#$e O!en,%a(e Hel"et
he &!en<Aaced 8el,et, ,ade of reinforced leather, or of ,etal, covers the back,
sides and to! of the face, leaving ,ost of the face o!en. +t gives the -earer a =0 !enalty
-ith Vision Checks, and a =6 !enalty -ith 8earing Checks Mit co,!letely covers the ears,
usually -ith s,all holes or grating over the ears so that the -earer can hear at allN.
E5a,!les include the Corinthian hel,ets of ancient %reece. +n a ,edieval ca,!aign,
o!en<faced hel,ets are often -orn by ,ilitary officers and soldiers -ho can afford the
!rotection.
#$e Closed,%a(e Hel"et
he Closed<Aace 8el,et is ,ade of ,etal and is ,uch like the &!en<Aaced
8el,et . . . e5ce!t that there is ar,or !late, often in the for, of a visor -hich ,ay be
o!ened, in front of the face. +t gives the -earer a =6 !enalty -ith Vision Checks, and a =9
!enalty -ith 8earing Checks.
E5a,!les include the basinet ,entioned in the Player's Handbook, the galea and
,yrr,illo ,entioned for the gladiators MaboveN, and ,any other co,bat hel,ets. )any
knights and other ,ounted -arriors -ear hel,ets of this ty!e.
+f the -earer of a Closed<Aace 8el,et is also -earing !late ,ail or field !late ar,or, he
gets a P0 to saving thro-s vs. dragon breath, and to s!ells such as burning hands.
pyrote"hni"s. )ire ball. )laming sphere. (all o) )ire. delayed blast )ireball. in"endiary
"loud, and meteor s(arm, and other fire<based s!ells and ,agical effects Mas deter,ined
by the D)N.
+f so,eone uses a Lasso, Chain, or Bolas in an effort to snare a rider@s head, and that
rider is -earing a Closed<Aace 8el,et, the victi, gets to roll 0dO. &n a 3=O, the attack is
handled nor,ally, but on a 0=9, the attack is treated Dust as a nor,al lasso or chain
dis,ountI the attacker doesn@t do the e5tra da,age that the head<lasso attack nor,ally
allo-s.
#$e Great Hel"
he %reat 8el, is a ,assive hel, -hich covers the entire head, fro, the to! of the
head to the to! of the shoulders, leaving slits o!en for the eyes and holes o!en for
breathingI it has no re,ovable visor. +t gives the -earer a =9 !enalty -ith Vision Checks,
and a =3 !enalty -ith 8earing Checks.
he %reat 8el, !rovides the follo-ing other benefitsH
he -earer of a %reat 8el, gets a P6 saving thro- vs. -i"ard s!ells such as
hypnotism. light cast on his eyes, blindness. hypnoti" pattern. suggestion. )ire "harm.
rainbo( pattern, and so,e other ,ind<controlling s!ells . . . but not "harm person. "harm
monster. or domination/
+f the -earer of a %reat 8el, is also -earing !late ,ail or field !late ar,or, he gets a
P6 to saving thro-s vs. dragon breath, and to s!ells such as burning hands. pyrote"hni"s.
)ire ball. )laming sphere. (all o) )ire. delayed blast )ireball. in"endiary "loud, and meteor
s(arm. and other fire<based s!ells and ,agical effects Mas deter,ined by the D)N. +f,
instead of !late ,ail or field !late, he is -earing full !late, the bonus is a P9 to saving
thro-s.
+f so,eone uses a Lasso, Chain, or Bolas in an effort to snare a rider@s head, and that
rider is -earing a %reat 8el,, the attack is auto,atically treated Dust as a nor,al attack.
With lasso or chain, it@s a nor,al lasso or chain dis,ount, and the attacker doesn@t do the
e5tra da,age that the head<lasso attack nor,ally allo-s. With Bolas, the attack does
nor,al da,age, but no strangulation da,age.
'n t$e Ca"!ai&n 8 8 8
+f you use these rules in a ca,!aign, you add so,e color and distinction bet-een the
ty!es of ar,or that your *Cs -ill be -earing. &n the other hand, once again, it@s an added
level of co,!le5ity -hich the ga,e doesn@t have to have. $se these rules only if the added
co,!le5ity doesn@t bother you, and if the s!ecial functions of the different ty!es of hel,ets
a!!eal to you.
Variant Ar"or
he ty!es of ar,or given in the Player's Handbook are all you need to !lay the ga,e.
8o-ever, you can use other ty!es of ar,or in your ca,!aignI here, -e@ll talk about t-o
different ty!es of alternative ar,or.
Ra(ial Ar"or
+t@s asking a lot to su!!ose that elves -ill ,ake their ar,or Dust as hu,ans ,ake theirs,
that it -ill look the sa,e and function identically. 8ere are so,e -ays to ,ake the ar,ors
of different races ,ore individual.
Ar"or %ittin&
Ar,or ,ade for one race rarely fits anotherI it ,ay be too big, too s,all, or
!ro!ortioned too strangely.
Belo- is a chart. he colu,n to the left sho-s the ty!e of de,ihu,an trying to -ear
the ar,or. he ro-s along the to! sho- -hat s!ecies the ar,or -as ,ade for. he
!ercentage chances sho-n are the chances that the !erson can -ear the ar,or, and the LPL
and L=L sy,bols sho- -hether the ar,or is ,ore likely to be too big or too s,all for the
-earer. M+f there is no such sy,bol, it ,eans that odds are even, :7Q that it -ill be too
big, :7Q that it -ill be too s,all.N Loo largeL could ,ean that it is so baggy or e,!ty
that it hinders the -earer and does not !rotect hi, -ell enough, or that it is so long on
hi, that it interferes -ith his -alking. Loo s,allL could ,ean that it is not broad enough
to acco,,odate the -earer@s chest, or that it is so short that it looks ridiculous and does
not sufficiently !rotect the -earer.
#o-, at the D)@s discretion, ,any things can affect these !ercentage chances.
+f a character of one se5 is trying to !ut on ar,or built for another se5, chances go
do-n that it -ill fit. he chance is reduced 07Q Mbut never goes belo- :QN. +f a fit fails
because of that ,odifier, it@s because the -o,an found the ,an@s ar,or too big, or the
,an found the -o,an@s too s,all.
Ra(e
#ryin& #o
*ear Ar"or Ra(e %or *$i($ Ar"or *as 3ilt4
Ar,orH D-f Elf %n, 0J6 Elf 0J6=lg 8u,
D-arf 27Q 7Q = 07Q = 07Q = 9:Q = 37Q P
Elf 07Q P 17Q :7Q = ;7Q P 9:Q P :7Q P
%no,e 37Q P 37Q P ;:Q 6:Q P O7Q P 67Q P
8alf<Elf 67Q P 3:Q 07Q P ;7Q 9:Q P :7Q
8alfling ;:Q P 97Q = 9:Q = 9:Q P ;7Q 67Q P
8u,an :7Q = 67Q = :Q = 97Q = 07Q = O:Q
8o-ever, the D) ,ay allo- the difference in se5 to help so,eti,esFin cases -here
the ar,or is not likely to fit a ,ale hu,an because it is too s,all in the shoulders and
chest. A hu,an -o,an trying to !ut on a ,ale half<elf@s ar,or ,ight be at no ,odifier,
and find herself at a P07Q ,odifier to -ear a ,ale elf@s ar,or.
(e,e,ber that full !late has its o-n ,odifiers for chances to fitI it has only a 67Q
chance to fit another ,e,ber of the sa,e race M07Q if the ne- -earer is of the other se5N.
A character "annot -ear full !late ,ade for a character of another race, !eriod.
he D) can allo- !reviously role<!layed deter,inations of a character@s height and
build to affect the chances fro, the chart belo-. Aor instance, if one !layer has al-ays said
that his hu,an character -as short and stocky, say :@3L and !o-erfully built, so that ,any
!eo!le Doked about hi, having a d-arvish ancestor, the D) can give hi, a P0:Q chance
to -ear d-arvish ar,orI this raises his chance fro, :7Q to O:Q, as if he -ere a hu,an
trying to -ear ar,or of his o-n kind. he D) should, ho-ever, subtract that sa,e
,odifier fro, the character@s chance to -ear ar,or built for hu,ansI that chance -ould
go do-n fro, O:Q to :7Q.
!'ample- An ad*enturing party kills a beholder in its lair and )inds the armor (orn
by pre*ious *i"tims/ The ad*enturers in"lude a huge human male barbarian. a slender
human )emale (arrior. a d(ar) a'eman. and a )emale gnome/ The dead *i"tims in"lude
an el) male in en"hanted "hain mail and a hal)ling male in en"hanted leather/ The heroes
see (ho "an (ear the "aptured armor/
The DM de"ides arbitrarily that the human barbarian "annot e*en roll/ He's al(ays
des"ribed himsel) as being massi*e. (ith enormous rippling mus"les and a bodybuilder's
physi<ue/ +n this "ampaign. that o)ten helps him (ith the ladies. but this time it
dis<uali)ies him )rom (earing any o) the treasure/
The slender human (arrioress tries the el)'s "hain mail/ A human trying on el) armor.
on the "hart abo*e. has a 7L to (ear it su""ess)ully/ The DM raises her "han"e 67L
be"ause she is a )emale human trying to )it into male el) armor0 her build is at an
ad*antage here/ He raises it 67L )urther be"ause in the "ampaign she has al(ays
des"ribed hersel) as o) deli"ate build. *ery slender/ This raises her "han"e to C7L/ :he
rolls AB on per"entile di"e0 she "an (ear the "hain/ :he also tries the en"hanted leather/
A human (oman trying to (ear male hal)ling armor is at 67L. and the DM again
assigns her the =7L )rom the t(o modi)iers mentioned/ :he has a A7L "han"e. but rolls
a 8G0 she "annot (ear it/
The d(ar) a'eman tries the el*ish "hain/ A d(ar) trying to (ear el) armor has a 7L
"han"e to (ear it/ He "an't/ He has a A9L "han"e to (ear the hal)ling's armor0 the DM
lo(ers that to 9L be"ause this "hara"ter has al(ays des"ribed himsel) as espe"ially
burly )or a d(ar)/ 1ut he rolls 7A on per"entile di"e0 he "an (ear the en"hanted leather/
The )emale gnome tries the el*ish "hain/ :he has a base C7L "han"e to (ear it/ The
DM does not modi)y it )or her se'/ :he rolls a 96 and )ails/ :he tries the leather0 she has
a base F7L "han"e (ith it. >67L )or di))erent gender e<uals 97L/ :he rolls a AA and
"an (ear it/
:o the human (arrioress gets the "hain mail. and the d(ar) and gnome must "hoose or
gamble to de"ide (ho gets the leathers/
Hi&$,7ality Ra(ial Ar"or
Ar,or found as treasure has a chance to be high$<uality ar,or. &rdinary ar,or has a
07Q chance on !ercentile diceI ,agical ar,or has a 6:Q chance.
Each race adds so,ething different to its ar,or if it is high<Euality.
D5ar.es4 8igh<Kuality d-arvish ar,or is very, very resistant to da,age. Whenever
8igh<Kuality d-arvish ar,or ,ust ,ake a saving thro- Msee the Dungeon Master Guide.
!age 91/N, it gets a PO to save in addition to any bonuses it receives if it is ,agical.
Additionally, if you use the LDa,age to Ar,orL rules described later in this cha!ter, all
8igh<Kuality d-arvish ar,or has t-ice the nu,ber of da,age !oints of ordinary ar,or.
El.es4 8igh<Kuality elvish ar,or is one< half the -eight of ordinary ar,orI it
constitutes Lelven steelL Msee the chart on !age 92 of the Dungeon Master GuideN.
Gno"es4 %no,es ,ake very Euiet studded and !added leather ar,orsI these are the
only 8igh<Kuality ar,ors they ,ake. 8igh<Kuality gno,e ar,or does not take any
!enalties on the Lhieving Skill Ar,or AdDust,entL table MPlayer's Handbook, !age 91,
last colu,nNI thus, a gno,e thief or dual<class thief does not suffer a =97Q -hen !icking
!ockets, or a =67Q -hen ,oving silently, etc.
Hal),El.es4 8alf<Elf ar,orers do not ,ake any 8igh<Kuality leather ar,or, !added
ar,or, studded leather, hide ar,or, or bron"e !late ,ail. All their other ar,ors can be
,ade as 8igh<Kuality ar,or. 8igh<Kuality half<elf ar,or is ,ade fro, fine steelI it is =
07Q the -eight of ordinary ar,or of the sa,e kind, fine steel, for nor,al thickness, =07Q
-eight, and gets a P6 to saving thro-s Mon the L)etalL colu,n on !age 91 of the
Dungeon Master GuideN.
Hal)lin&s4 8alflings only ,ake leather ar,or as 8igh<Kuality ar,or. heir 8igh<
Kuality leather ar,or counts as L#o Ar,orL on the hieving Skill Ar,or AdDust,ent table
MPlayer's Handbook, !age 91N.
H"ans4 8u,ans ,ake all ty!es of ar,or as 8igh<Kuality ar,or. his is es!ecially
tough ar,orI -hatever it is ,ade of, it is P6 to saving thro-s on the a!!ro!riate line of
the L+te, Saving hro-sL chart on !age 91 of the Dungeon Master Guide. Also, !late
,ail Mnot including bron"e !lateN, field !late, and full !late ,ade to 8igh<Kuality
s!ecifications is ,ade of fine steel, but instead of being lighter than usual, it is built thicker
in order to ,ake it ,ore resistant to da,age. +t is P3 to saving thro-s on that L+te,
Saving hro-sL chart, and is nor,al -eight. Also, it gives the -earer a P6 to saving
thro-s vs. (od, Staff, or Wand and Breath Wea!on attacks. +n addition, if you are using
the LDa,age to Ar,orL rules found later in this cha!ter, it has one and a half ti,es the
nor,al da,age !oints for the ty!e of ar,or it is.
Ot$er Notes on Hi&$,7ality Ra(ial Ar"or
All the above descri!tions -ere for -orn ar,or, not shields. 8igh<Kuality shields do
not i,!art any s!ecial bonus unless you@re using the LDa,age to Ar,orL rules, in -hich
case they have t-ice as ,any da,age !oints as the nor,al sort of shield.
8o- ,uch does it cost to buy a set of 8igh<Kuality racial ar,orB Airst, the D) has to
decide -hether there is any available to sell. $sually, the ans-er -ill be noI there is only a
0Q chance that a nor,al village ar,orer@s -ill have ,ade any !iece of high<Euality ar,or
to sell, and that -ill be racial ar,or of the ar,orer@s race. he chance goes u! to :Q in a
big city, or 6:Q if you@re looking for racial ar,or of the race that is ,ost co,,on in the
city. hus, to find high<Euality d-arvish ar,or, go to a big d-arf co,,unity . . . and there
your chances are still lo-.
But if you find -hat you@re looking for, or are able to hire an ar,orer to build you a
set, it costs ten ti,es the nor,al cost of the ar,or. 8igh<Euality d-arf !late ,ail, then,
-ould cost O,777 g!. &ften, it@s not -orth the !rice to the adventurer.
+n no case -ill an elvish crafts,an custo,<,ake a set of 8igh<Kuality elvish ar,or for
so,eone. Such ar,or is only ,ade for the elvish royalty, and their kings so,eti,es
besto- a !iece on a non<elf hero . . . but only for deeds of e5ce!tional valor -hich have
hel!ed the elves.
Another Euestion adventurers are sure to askH Can an ar,orer of one race build his
o-n ty!e of 8igh<Kuality ar,or for another raceB Aor e5a,!le, can a ,aster gno,e
ar,orer build 8igh<Kuality gno,e ar,or for a hu,anB
he ans-er is yes. +nstead of costing ten ti,es the nor,al cost of the ar,or, the !rice
is 0: ti,es the nor,al cost. But it can be done. Again, though, an elf ar,orer -ill never
,ake 8igh<Kuality ar,orer for anyone but his rulers.
Custo,<built 8igh<Kuality ar,or takes four ti,es as long to ,ake as nor,al, average
ar,or.
Pie(e"eal Ar"or
What ha!!ens -hen a character takes a heavy ,etal breast!late fro, a set of field
!late and then -ears chain ,ail sleeves and leggings and a leather ar,or ca!B Mhat is,
-hat ha!!ens other than he looks stu!idBN
Characters "an -ear ar,or asse,bled out of the re,nants of other, ,is,atched sets
of ar,or. +t@s not as good, and certainly not as good<looking, as -earing a ,atched suit.
But so,eti,es necessity dictates that characters -ear -hat@s on hand.
When you@re asse,bling a full suit of ar,or out of !ieces on hand, the first thing to do
is to see -hat you have. Co,!are your ar,or on hand -ith the chart belo-.
3ons to AC Per #y!e o) Pie(e4
Ar"or %ll 3reast, #5o One #5o One
#y!e Sit Plate Ar"s Ar" ;e&s ;e&
Banded )ail O 9 6 0 0 7
Brigandine 3 6 0 7 0 7
Bron"e !late O 9 6 0 0 7
Chain ,ail : 6 6 0 0 7
Aield *late 2 3 6 0 6 0
Aull !late 1 3 9 0 6 0
8ide ar,or 3 6 0 7 0 7
Leather ar,or 6 0 0 7 7 7
*added ar,or 6 0 0 7 7 7
*late ,ail ; 9 6 0 6 0
(ing ,ail 9 0 0 7 0 7
Scale ,ail 3 6 0 7 0 7
S!lint ,ail O 9 6 0 0 7
Studded
leather 9 0 0 7 0 7
!'ample- A "hara"ter is robbed o) all his (orldly goods/ ,ater. he )inds the a)termath
o) a battle. (ith a "ouple o) dead (arriors still in their armor/ ?ne body (ears a badly
battered set o) )ield plate 3o) (hi"h the breastplate is inta"t5. (hile the other (ears a )ull
suit o) "hain mail 3o) (hi"h the "hest is riddled (ith holes and one leg is destroyed5/
He tries to pie"e this together into a suit )or him/ He takes the )ield$plate's
breastplate/ ,ooking at the "hart. (e see it grants an AC bonus o) C/ He also takes the
)ield$plate's t(o arms/ ,ooking at the "hart. (e see they grant an AC bonus o) / He
takes the sur*i*ing "hain mail leg/ ,ooking at the "hart. (e see that it grants an AC
bonus o) 7/ 3He'll also take the sur*i*ing helm or helmet )rom one o) these (arriors. so
that he'll ha*e some armor on his head in "ase o) a Called :hot to the Head/5
His AC bonus is F. so his AC no( is C@not too bad/ +) there's a shield. he'll ha*e an AC
o) A/ +) someone takes a Called :hot to his unarmored leg. he'll be at AC 67 3or G (ith
the shield5. as per the Combat #ules "hapter. but that atta"ker (ill take a >C penalty to
atta"k rolls )or the Called :hot maneu*er/
*ei&$t o) Pie(e"eal Sits
o calculate the -eight of a !iece,eal suit of ar,or, follo- these guidelinesH
he breast!late is 0J6 the -eight of the original suit.
Each ar" and le& is 0J2 the -eight of the original suit.
Abot /a&i(al Ar"or
+f a suit of ,agical ar,or is used for one of these !iece,eal efforts, it grants none of
its ,agical bonusI once the ,agical ar,or is s!lit into little bits, or !ieces are ,erely
se!arated and not -orn together, the ,agical bonus doesn@t -ork.
Gladiator Ar"or
hese rules for !iece,eal ar,or are, in effect, ho- the ty!es of %ladiator Ar,or
described in this cha!ter are built.
#$ra(ian ar,or consists of fasciae, the eEuivalent of 8ide ar,or -orn on t-o legsF
thus an AC bonus of 0, for an AC of 1.
Galli( ar,or consists of fasciae M8ide ar,or on t-o legsN, one ,anica Mthe eEuivalent
of S!lint )ail on one ar,, thus an AC bonus of 0N, and a !rotective ,etal belt. he belt is
a s!ecial !iece of gladiator ar,orI it constitutes half a breast!late of 8ide ar,or in both
-eight an AC bonus, so it grants an AC bonus of 0. All together, %allic ar,or grants an
AC bonus of 9, for a final AC of ;. #oteH he ar,or belt "annot be -orn in addition to a
Breast!late, only instead of one.
Sa"nite ar,or consists of a cuirass Ma s!lint ,ail eEuivalent breast!late conferring an
AC bonus of 9N, and s!lint<eEuivalent ar,or on one ar, MAC bonus of 0N and both legs
MAC bonus of 0N, for a final AC of :.
he !iece of ar,or called the %alerus, -orn on the -ea!on shoulder, does not add
anything to the AC bonusI it is considered !art of the sleeve or breast!late.
Da"a&e to Ar"or
+t@s easiest in a ca,!aign Dust not to -orry about the da,age that ar,or and shields
are taking. +t@s !resu,ed that characters go on adventures, get in fights, and during so,e
of their off<hours they re!air their ar,or.
+f you -ant kno- !recisely ho- ,uch da,age a !iece of ar,or can take before being
destroyed, and ho- to re!air da,aged ar,or M-ithout the *Cs necessarily having to do so
the,selvesN, you can use the follo-ing rules.
Da"a&e Points
Every ti,e a character -earing ar,or is hit and da,aged by an attack, his ar,or takes
da,age, too. +t takes 0 Da,age *oint !er blo- that hits. +f an attack hits for 0 !oint of
da,age, the ar,or takes 0 D*. +f an attack hits for 07 !oints of da,age, the ar,or takes 0
D*.
Shields only take da,age -hen the character successfully *arries -ith a Shield. Each
ti,e he !arries an attack that -ould have hit hi,, his shield takes 0 D*.
8el,s only take da,age -hen the character is hit -ith a Called Shot to the 8ead or a
Sa! ,aneuver. Each ti,e the character -earing a hel, is hit -ith such an attack, the hel,
takes 0 D*.
When a !iece of ar,or dro!s to 7 D*, it falls a!art and is ruinedI it cannot be re!aired.
So long as it has 0 D* it can be re!aired.
Ar,or has the follo-ing D*H
Ar"or #y!e AC DP
Banded )ail 3 97
Barding
Chain : :7
Aull !late 6 27
Aull scale O 37
8alf
brigandine ; 97
8alf !added 1 07
8alf scale ; 97
LeatherJ
*added 2 67
Brigandine O 67
Bron"e !late 3 97
Chain ,ail : 6:
Aield *late 6 37
Aull !late 0 3:
%ladiator
%allic ; 0:
Sa,nite : 6:
hracian 1 :
8el,s
Ca! P7 :
Coif P7 0:
Close<AacedG P7 6:
%reat P7 9:
&!en<Aaced P7 67
8ide ar,or O 67
Leather ar,or 2 07
*added ar,or 2 07
*late ,ail 9 9:
(ing ,ail ; 0:
Scale ,ail O 67
Shields
Body P0 9:
Buckler P0 07
)ediu, P0 6:
S,all P0 07
S!lint ,ail 3 97
Studded
leather ; 0:
G +ncludes basinet, galea, ,yr,illo
Pie(e"eal Ar"or
+f you@re using the *iece,eal Ar,or rules fro, earlier in this cha!ter, consider the
ar,or@s Breast!late to have the nu,ber of D* listed for it in the chart above. Each ar,
and leg -ill have a D* a,ount eEuivalent to one<tenth of the D* total fro, the chart. he
breast!late -ill take all D* da,age fro, attacks unless they are Called Shots to other
body !arts.
/a&i(al Ar"or
)agical Ar,or does not gradually lose its !rotective enchant,ent as it is da,aged.
8o-ever, if it reaches 7 D* before being re!aired, the ar,or is destroyed and so is the
enchant,ent.
Being ,agical does not confer any e5tra Da,age *oints on the suit of ar,or. +t can
gradually be destroyed by brute force like any unenchanted suit of ar,or.
Re!airin& Ar"or
%uidelines for re!airing da,aged ar,or are !resented in the Chara"ter Creation
cha!ter, under the headlines L(e!airing Ar,orL and L(e!airing )agical Ar,or.L
E))e(ts on t$e Ca"!ai&n
hese rules for calculating da,age to ar,or add a little co,!le5ity to co,bats in the
ga,e. Every ti,e a character is hit in co,bat, he@ll have to add one tally<,ark to a
se!arate scratch sheet of !a!er sho-ing the da,age his ar,or is taking. +t@s easy to forgetI
the D) -ill constantly have to re,ind his !layers to do this in the first -eeks he is
introducing this rule into his ca,!aign. herefore, -e reco,,end you use this syste,
only if it@s i,!ortant to you. +f it isn@t, don@t bother -ith it.
/a&i(al 'te"s
Aollo-ing are so,e ne- ty!es of ,agical treasures, ,agic es!ecially suited to fighting
characters.
3ra(elet o) C$ar"s4 his a!!ears to be a nicely<crafted bracelet of sturdy gold links.
+t looks like any other bracelet to -hich s,all char,s and ,e,entos are attached.
But -hen a -arrior Monly a -arrior, ,ulti<class -arrior, or dual<class -arriorN slides
the bracelet around the blade or haft of a -ea!on, and s!eaks the co,,and -ord
engraved on the bracelet@s clas!, the -ea!on disappears . . . and a gold char, ,atching
the -ea!on a!!ears on the bracelet.
hereafter, -hen the -arrior s!eaks the co,,and -ord and the na,e of the -ea!on,
the -ea!on ,agically a!!ears in the hand on -hose -rist the bracelet rested . . . and the
bracelet disa!!ears.
he bracelet can hold u! to four -ea!onsJchar,s this -ay. hey can be nor,al or
,agical. Shields and ,iscellaneous eEui!,ent cannot be held in this fashionI only -ea!ons
built as -ea!ons. Siege -ea!ons cannot be held.
he change fro, bracelet to -ea!on takes no ti,e at all, but can be acco,!lished only
once !er turn. he bracelet itself can be used only eight ti,es in a dayI turning the bracelet
into a -ea!on counts as one use, and turning the -ea!on back into a bracelet counts as
one use.
+f the -ea!on held in the bracelet@s enchant,ent is called on, and -ielded, and then
disar,ed, the character cannot call on another -ea!on fro, the bracelet. he bra"elet
itself is -ithin the -ea!on. he character ,ust retrieve the -ea!on first, and only then can
he use its ,agic.
A -ea!on can be taken out of the bracelet@s array. When a character -ishes to do this,
he takes the bracelet off his -rist and s!eaks the na,e of the -ea!on, and then says the
co,,and -ord . . . a reversal of the !revious !rocedure.
he bra"elet does not ,agically kno- its o-ner. Anyone -ho steals the bra"elet fro,
its o-ner and discovers -hat it is can use it and call the !revious o-ner@s -ea!ons forth.
his ite, is best used -hen the -ielder -ants to carry a variety of different -ea!ons,
and -ants to do so secretly. With a single -arrior, the -ea!ons carried ,ight be a long
bo- and Euiver MEuivers count as !art of the -ea!on they carry arro-s forN, a bastard
s-ord, a halberd, and a dagger. his gives the -arrior the ability to call forth the -ea!on
best suited to the task at hand.
+f a -ea!on is broken, the bracelet isn@tI the user needs to call forth the bracelet, then
se!arate the broken -ea!on fro, it.
Kuivers are not ,agically re!lenished -hen they@re the si"e of char,s. 8o-ever ,any
arro-s are in the Euiver -hen it beco,es a char, are still in it -hen it beco,es a Euiver
again. Like-ise, a broken bo-<string stays broken.
he 1ra"elet o) Charms ,ay not be used on the sa,e -ea!on as a set of #ings o)
#eadiness.
Ca&e o) S$elter4 his obDect looks like a large bird<cage that has been neatly folded
do-n into a !ackage about the si"e of a ,ediu, shield.
he user, -ho can be of any character class, !laces it u!on the ground, ste!s back
fro, it, and cla!s his hands loudly either t-o or three ti,es.
+f he cla!s his hands t-ice, the cage gro-s u! into a sturdy ,etal<fra,ed tent -hich
can house eight !eo!leFyou can substitute one horse for four !eo!le. his tent confers no
,agical blessing on its inhabitants, but by using it and huddling together for -ar,th a
!arty can survive a sno-stor, that -ould kill an un!rotected !artyI by erecting it in the
desert, a !arty can avoid the danger and disco,fort of a sandstor,.
+f the user cla!s his hands three ti,es, the cage gro-s u! into a strong 07@ by 07@ cell.
he door to the cell has the eEuivalent of a (iHard lo"kI the cage@s o-ner can o!en it any
ti,e he -ishes, and any ,agician -ith the kno"k s!ell can o!en it by using that s!ell. A
!erson in the cell -ould have to ,ake his Bend BarsJLift %ates roll successfully Mor use a
knockN to esca!eI the door@s lock cannot be !icked.
o return the cage to its original for,, the o-ner cla!s again, t-ice if it is in tent for,,
three ti,es if it is in cage for,. +f so,eone is in it -hen it is a tent and begins colla!sing, it
o!ens u! around the !erson insideI both he and it are unhurt. +f so,eone is in it -hen it is
a cage and begins colla!sing, it colla!ses around hi,, inflicting 6dO da,age before it
breaks o!enI thereafter, it is ruined forever.
he "age o) shelter kno-s its o-ner. +f so,eone finds it in a treasure, he ,ust carry it
in his gear for a ,onth for the cage to attune itself to hi,. +f its true o-ner sells it to
so,eone else in the cage@s !resence, the cage -ill obey the cla!s of its ne- o-ner
i,,ediately.
C$ar" o) %a.or4 When deities and other !o-erful beings are !leased -ith the deed
of a ,ortal, they so,eti,es give hi, a "harm o) )a*or. his is a s,all char, or statuette,
usually of se,i!recious ,aterial and t-o or three inches in si"e, -hich re!resents the god
or one of his as!ects.
he "harm is rather like a limited (ish. +t re!resents a favor -hich the deity -ill do for
the character at so,e ti,e in the future. o use it, the o-ner ,ust thro- the ite, on the
ground so hard that it breaks, and then call out his reEuest.
he reEuest ,ust have so,ething to do -ith the attributes of the godH +t@s no use
asking the %oddess of Love to dry u! an oasis into a desert, or to ask the %od of
EarthEuakes for a fog to hide the adventurers.
he god hears it -hen the favor is reEuested. And he, in the guise of the D),
evaluates the favor. +f the favor is so,ething -hich !ertains to one of his attributes, and if
the god does not think that the character is ,aking the reEuest out of ,ere greed or
selfishness, and if besto-ing the favor -ill not conflict -ith any of the god@s other ai,s or
desires, he -ill grant the favor.
So it -ould be a!!ro!riate to ask the %od of +nsects to send a cloud of bees to rout
one@s ene,ies, or to ask the %oddess of Love to cause so,e #*C to fall in love -ith the
!layer<character, or to ask a deity of the Earth to cause fruit<trees to gro- and save the
characters fro, death by thirst and starvation.
Because the deity is evaluating the character@s reEuest, the asking character cannot
e5!ect an outrageous favor to be granted. And ,ost ene,ies -ho steal the char, fro, the
*C cannot use it successfullyI one ,ight take it, hurl it to the ground and break it -ith his
reEuest, and find the cranky god sto,!ing on hi, and freeing the faithful *C. Mhis,
ho-ever, constitutes using u! the favor.N But an #*C friend of the o-ner of the "harm
,ight be able to get the ite, and ask the god to hel! the char,@s true o-ner . . .
!articularly if he is ill or kidna!!ed and cannot do so for hi,self.
Any character of any class can receive such a char, as a favor. But -hen they are
found in treasure, they are uselessI they -ere not intended for the character -ho finds
the,, after all.
he "harm o) )a*ors does not radiate ,agic.
Rin&s o) Readiness4 his ,agical ite, consists of t-o !lain iron rings, one suitable to
be -orn on a finger and one larger, so,e 6L in dia,eter.
he larger ring is to be !laced on so,e ite,. +t can be se-n into or bolted onto a set
of ar,orI it can be !laced u!on the !o,,el of a -ea!on Min -hich case it shrinks until it
fits snuglyNI it can be attached to any ite, of !ersonal gear -eighing less than 077 lbs.
When the larger ring is attached to an obDect, and the s,aller ring is -orn by a
character, the character needs only to utter the ,agical -ord inscribed on the inside of the
s,aller ring. When he does, if the other ring is -ithin 07 ,iles, it -ill instantaneously
trans!ort that obDect to the character.
+f the ite, attached to the other ring is a -ea!on, it -ill a!!ear in his hand. +f the ite,
is a suit of ar,or, it a!!ears on the characterI if he is already -earing a suit of ar,or, it
a!!ears ne5t to hi,. +f the ite, is so,ething else, it a!!ears in a fashion dictated by the
D)I a cro-n -ill a!!ear on the character@s head, -hile a se-ing ,achine -ould a!!ear
ne5t to hi,, for instance.
+f the ite, attached to the larger ring is ,ore than 07 ,iles a-ay, nothing ha!!ens.
he use of the rings ,ust be announced before initiative in the co,bat turn. $se of the
rings takes no ti,e. he character calls out the ,agic -ord before initiativeI then, later in
the turn, -hen his actions co,e u!, the ite, in Euestion a!!ears.
+f a character finds the s,aller ring -ithout the larger one, then he can su,,on
-hatever obDect the larger one is attached to, even if it is not his. hese rings recogni"e no
single o-ner. An interesting Euest in a ca,!aign ,ight be for a character to find the
s,aller of a set of rings and have to -ander to find the larger ring and su,,on it and its
obDect to hi,I re,e,ber, it only -orks -ithin 07 ,iles of the su,,oner.
he ,agic only -orks if the ite, attached to the larger ring is inani,ate. Living things
are not trans!orted.
&nce su,,oned, these obDects ,ay not be sent back. his is a one<-ay tri!.
he rings ,ay be used any nu,ber of ti,esI they do not -ear out.
)any heroes use this ,agical ite, so that they never lose their -ea!ons. +f the hero
finds his s-ord disar,ed in co,bat, he can call it to his hand on the ne5t round, -ithout
-asting the ti,e to go get it. So,e con artists use it to run a sca,H hey@ll secretly attach
the larger ring to so,e great ite, of treasure, sell it to a dealer, ride out of to-n -ith their
,oney and then su,,on the treasure back. his is a good tactic until the vengeful dealers
catch u! -ith the,.
his ,agical ite, ,ay be used by characters of any class.
#ings o) readiness cannot be used on the sa,e -ea!on as a bra"elet o) "harms.
S$eat$ o) Holdin&4 his ite, looks like an ordinary sheath for a large knifeI the
sheath is any-here fro, OL to 07L long, including its belt loo!.
But it doesn@t hold a knife. +t holds a s-ordFa full<si"ed s-ord. With ,agic rather like
that found in the bag o) holding, this ite, slides ,ost of the length of the blade into a
!ocket di,ension, so that only the -ea!on@s hilt sho-s, -ith the sheath suggesting
another :L or so of blade. Mhis looks rather strange -hen it holds a bastard s-ord, -here
the hilt -ill be longer than the a!!arent blade, but the sheath o) holding can do it.N
Each sheath o) holding is designed to hold one ty!e of s-ord. he D) can decide
-hich sort of s-ord it@s designed to hold, or can roll on the table belo-. he sheath -ill
not hold a s-ord it is not built to hold.
*ea!on
Roll Held 3y Alternate
dEFF S$eat$ Roll
70=07 Bastard s-ord
70=0:
00=0: Cutlass
0O=67 Dagger 0O=6:
60=6: Dirk 6O=97
6O=97 %ladiusJDrusus
90=99 4atana
93=92 4ho!esh 90=9:
91=39 4nife 9O=3:
33=:9 Long s-ord 3O=O:
:3=:2 )ain<gauche
:1=O2 (a!ier
O1=;9 Sabre
;3=;2 Sci,itar OO=;:
;1=22 Short s-ord ;O=17
21=19 Stiletto
13=12 -o=handed
s-ord 10=77
11=77 Waki"ashi
+gnore any rolls -hich are not a!!ro!riate for your ca,!aign settingI if you have no
katanas, you don@t need to acce!t any rolls for sheathes for katanas.
he LAlternate (ollL colu,n is used if you are not using the ne- -ea!ons introduced
in The Complete Fighter's Handbook/
his ,agical ite, can be used by any character class, but ,ost end u! in the hands of
-arriors and rogues.
Saddle o) t$e S!irit,Horse4 his is a very strange ,agical ite, -hich ,ay only be
used by -arriors Meither single<, ,ulti<, or dual<classN.
o all a!!earances, it is an ordinary, -orn leather saddle of good Euality. 8o-ever, it
is a ,agical ite,. +f -orn by a single horse, it attunes itself to that horse -hen -orn for
three days. M+t doesn@t have to be -orn continuously for ;6 hoursFDust -orn as an
ordinary saddle is.N
&nce it is attuned to the horse, nothing re,arkable ha!!ens . . . unless the horse dies
-hile -earing the saddle. +f it does, the s!irit of the horse stays -ith the saddle for another
63 hours. 8alf an hour after the horse died, the s!irit of the horse -ill La-aken,L and cli,b
to its unseen feet, and !re!are to carry its ,aster -herever he -ants to go. he ghost<
horse continues to -ear the saddle and to carry it around . . . and the horse@s ,aster or
other favorite riders ,ay ride it during that ti,e.
Aor the ne5t 63 hours, the horse<ghost -ill tirelessly carry its rider -herever he -ants
to go, at the full running s!eed the horse could ,anage -hen it -as alive. But it@s a
s!ooky sightH he saddle floats in the air, four or five feet u! Mat the height the living horse
carried itNI the rider ,ust ,ount nor,ally, treat the horse as he did nor,ally, and !retend
all is as it ever -as.
&ther than running, the horse<s!irit has no unusual abilities. +t cannot be seen or
touched. +t can -hinny and neigh, and it "an buck . . . though only the saddle is seen to
buck in the air. +t cannot truly flyI -hen it co,es to a ravine, for instance, it ,ust descend
to the botto, and cli,b the other slo!e as it -ould have had to do if it -ere alive.
his frightens living horses. #o nor,al horse -ill a!!roach the ani,ated saddle -ithin
a hundred feet. Aor this reason, it is best used -hen the character is alone and, has his
horse killed out fro, under hi,,
+f a character kills his horse to get this 63 hours of fast, tireless service, the ghost<
horse -ill re,e,ber this and be offended by it . . . even if the character did it secretly, by
!oison or long<distance ,agic, the horse -ill kno- it. +t -ill allo- hi, to ,ount the
floating saddle, and behave nor,ally for a -hile, but at so,e catastro!hic ti,e it -ill try
to kill the character. +t ,ay Du,! off a cliff, or ride hi, straight back at the ene,y he@s
trying to elude, or buck hi, off into a !it of snakes.
hese saddles ,ay also be ,ade for donkeys, ca,els, or any other ground ani,als.
hey don@t -ork -ith !egasi, griffons, or other flying beasts.
S$ield o) /edsae4 his ,agical ite, ,ay only be used by -arriors or !riests
Mincluding ,ulti<class and dual<class -arriors or !riestsN.
+t is sha!ed like and -orks like a nor,al ,ediu, shield. But the outside Mthe side that
faces the ene,yN is ,irror<reflective, and the inside M-here the -arrior@s stra!s areN is
crystal clear.
o use the shield o) medusae, the -arrior holds it u! before hi,, in front of his eyes,
and looks through its clear surface. While he is doing so, he is i,,une to the stoning
ga"es of creatures such as the ,edusa and basilisk, and to ,agical ite,s -hich du!licate
their ga"es. When the character carrying this shield confronts a stoning creature, he
reflects their i,ages back at the,, and it is they -ho ,ust ,ake saving thro-s vs.
!etrification or be turned to stone.
$nlike ordinary shields, the shield o) medusae has only t-o da,age !oints before it
shatters. +n other -ords, if it is hit t-ice, it is destroyed.
/is(ellaneos E-i!"ent
he follo-ing !ieces of eEui!,ent are of so,e use to -arriors and other characters.
Atl,Atl4 his is a stick -ith a broad, shallo- groove along its length and a knot at the
endI it is a fe- feet long.
he character !laces a Davelin Mnot a s!ear, long s!ear, har!oon, or tridentN in it so that
the Davelin butt rests against the knot and the Davelin lies along the grooveI the -arrior
holds it at the other end. hereafter, -hen he flings his Davelin, he uses the atl<atl as a lever
and is able to thro- it ,uch farther than before.
When used -ith an atl<atl, the Davelin acEuires the follo-ing characteristicsH
Ba.elin6Atl,Atl4 (&A 6J9, S 9, ) O, L 1.
he atl<atl costs 0 silver !iece to ,ake, but can be carved out of a stick by anyone
-ith the Wea!ons,ith !roficiency. +t -eighs one !ound.
S!ike< S!rin&,Ot4 his is a nasty -ea!on used ,ostly by rogues and chaotic
-arriors, though any sneaky !layer<character could acEuire one.
+t consists of a blade identical in characteristics to the knife, housed in an innocuous
rod or handle. When the secret catch is !ressed, the blade sna!s out instantly and the
character is ar,ed.
$sually, the s!ring<out s!ike is built into ite,s the character -ill be carrying a lot . . .
and -hen he doesn@t -ish it to be kno-n he@s ar,ed. Co,,on obDects -ith built<in s!ikes
include royal sce!tres, the ends of Euarterstaves Mthis converts a staff into a s!earN, and
so,eti,es the hilts of s-ords and daggers. Assassins often carry a dagger -ith an ordinary
blade . . . and a !oison<coated s!ring<out s!ike.
he s!ring<out s!ike -eighs one !ound and costs 37 g!. When built into an ordinary
obDect, it adds one !ound and 37 g! to that obDect@s cost. +t cannot custo,arily be built
into an e5isting -ea!onI it ,ust be built into the -ea!on -hen it is first created.
he s!ring<out s!ike is illegal in ,ost civili"ations. +f the authorities catch a character
using one, they@ll Dail hi, on assu,!tion of assassination ,otives.
S$eat$< Se(ret S!rin&4 his is another ite, considered useful by rogues, street<
fighters, assassins, and characters -ishing to a!!ear unar,ed.
+t consists of a sheath for one of the follo-ing -ea!onsH Dagger, 4nife, or Stiletto. A
sheath for one of these three -ea!ons -ill not hold either of the other t-o. +t cannot be
built for a -ea!on other than these three. +t is not Dust a sheath, but is also a ,echanical
device, and is -orn on the character@s ar, Dust belo- the elbo-.
Whenever the character straightens his ar, out and fle5es it in a certain -ay, the blade
in the sheath !o!s into his hand. he character ,ust ,ake a De5terity ability check to
catch itI he gets a P9 bonus because it@s not difficult, but a natural 67 al-ays fails. +f he
fails to catch it, it !o!s straight out and dro!s to the floor. +t cannot be Lshot outL as an
attack like a thro-n knifeI it -ill not hurt -ho,ever it hits, and al-ays hits hilt<first -hen
fu,bled in this fashion.
his is another -ay, and a non<,agical one, for the unar,ed character to be suddenly
ar,ed -hen the need arises. +n the co,bat seEuence, he ,ust announce before initiative is
rolled that he is going to !o! out his bladeI -hen his action co,es u! for that round, if he
is still able to straighten out his ar,, his blade !o!s into his hand and is instantly ready.
he character ,ay still attack this roundI the action of ar,ing hi,self doesn@t use u! an
attack.
he Secret S!ring Sheath -eighs only half a !ound and costs 9: g!. +t reEuires
so,eone -ith both the Set Snares and Wea!ons,ithing !roficiencies to create. Like the
S!ring<&ut S!ike, it is illegal in ,ost !laces, but is a lesser cri,e, !unishable by a fine
M07dO gold !iecesN and a fe- days M0dON in Dail.
G G G
hat@s the end of The Complete Fighter's Handbook/
#o- that you@ve read it, the thing to re,e,ber is thisH $se -hatever a!!eals to you,
as the D), and nothing ,ore. +f any rule or reco,,endation -orries you, if you feel that
it -ill unbalance your ca,!aign or ske- your !layers to-ard bad habits, then don@t allo-
it in your ca,!aign. As for all the other rules, reco,,endations, and guidelinesH ry the,.
Cou ,ay like the,.
Ne5 *ea!ons ;ist
*ei&$t S!eed Da"a&e
'te" Cost 0lbs81 Si9e #y!e
D
%a(tor S,/ ;
Arro-s, Stone
Alight
3
9 c!J0 0J07 ) * F 0d3 0d3
Belaying !in
0
6 c! 6 S B 3 0d9 0d9
Bo stick
3
6 c! 3 L B 3 0dO 0d3
Bolas
0
: s! 6 ) B 2 0d9 0d6
Cestus
0
0 g! 6 S S 6 0d3 0d9
Chain
3
: s! 9 L B : 0d3P0 0d3
Dagger
Bone
0
0 s! 0 S * 6 0d6 0d6
Stone
0
6 s! 0 S * 6 0d9 0d6
Daikyu
3
077 g! 9 L F ; F F
Daikyu arro-
3
9 s!JO 0 ) * F 0d2 0dO
%affJhook
0
Attached 6 g! 6 S * 6 0d3 0d9
8eld : c! 6 S * 6 0d3 0d9
Javelin, Stone
9
&ne<handed : c! 6 ) * 3 0d3 0d3
-o<handed : c! 6 ) * 3 0d3P0 0dO
4nife
Bone
0
9 c! 0J6 S *JS 6 0d6 0d6
Stone
0
: c! 0J6 S *JS 6 0d6 0d6
Lasso
3
: s! 9 L F 07 F F
)ain<gauche
0
9 g! 6 S *JS 6 0d3 0d9
#et
3
: g! 07 ) F 07 F F
#unchaku
0
0 g! 9 ) B 9 0dO 0dO
*olear,
#aginata
3,:
2 g! 07 L * ; 0d2 0d07
etsubo
3
6 g! ; L B ; 0d2 0d2
Sai
0
: s! 6 S *JB 6 0d3 0d6
Shuriken
0
9 s! 0 S * 6 0d3 0d3
S!ear, Long
9
&ne<8anded : g! 2 L * 2 0d2 0d2P0
-o<8anded
:
: g! 2 L * 2 6dO 9dO
S!ear, Stone
9
&ne<handed 2 c! : ) * O 0d3 0dO
-o<handed 2 c! : ) * O 0dO 6d3
Stiletto
0
: s! 0J6 S * 6 0d9 0d6
S-ord
Cutlass
0
06 g! 3 ) S : 0dO 0d2
Drusus
0
:7 g! 9 ) S 9 0dOP0 0d2P0
4atana
9
&ne<handed 077 g! O ) SJ* 3 0d07 0d06
-o<handed 077 g! O ) SJ* 3 6dO 6dO
(a!ier
0
0: g! 3 ) * 3 0dOP0 0d2P0
Sabre
0
0; g! : ) S 3 0dOP0 0d2P0
Waki"ashi
6
:7 g! 9 ) SJ* 9 0d2 0d2
0
his -ea!on is intended for one<handed use, and ,ay not be used t-o<handed.
6
his -ea!on is intended for one<handed use, but ,ay be used t-o<handed.
9
his -ea!on is intended for one<handed or t-o<handed use.
3
his -ea!on is intended for t-o<handed use only.
:
his -ea!on inflicts double da,age -hen fir,ly set to receive a charge.
O
he Ly!eL category is divided into Bludgeoning MBN, *iercing M*N, and Slashing MSN.
his indicates the ty!e of attack ,ade, -hich ,ay alter the -ea!on@s effectiveness against
different ty!es of ar,or. See the o!tional rule in the *layer@s 8andbook, !age 17.