Combat in AD&D | dlsaga.com

Let’s take a look at combat in AD&D, and find out why it is the best version of Dungeons & Dragons in this How to Play Advanced Dungeons & Dragons series. Buy the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17004/dungeon-master-s-guide-1e?affiliate_id=50797

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro
0:46 Overview
4:01 Surprise
6:06 Distance
6:34 Movement
7:13 Initiative
8:37 Reactions
9:10 Avoidance
9:41 Parleying
10:02 Missile Discharge
11:43 Spell Casting
13:19 Turning Undead
13:52 Melee Combat
15:28 Saving Throws
15:59 Outro

Transcript

Cold Open

Let’s learn all about combat in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons!

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga episode. My name is Adam and today I am going to talk about combat in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. I would like to take a moment and thank the DLSaga members, and invite you to consider becoming a member by visiting the link in the description below. You can even pick up Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links. I am referencing the Dungeon Masters Guide and Players Handbook for this information. If I leave anything out or misspeak, please leave a comment below!

Discussion

Overview

The more I play the various versions of Dungeons & Dragons, and I have played them all, the more I keep returning to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, or AD&D. There is something to the structure of it, the simplicity as presented, but with complexity built in. While the game focuses on combat encounters, you are able to add all play styles to help enrich it. Overland, waterborne, and dungeon adventuring. Role-play between Non-Player Characters or NPC’s and Player Characters, or PC’s. Puzzle solving, and the discovery of treasures and traps. And let’s not forget the monsters! AD&D forces you to use your wits and rely on the team you have assembled around the table and hired as henchmen for survival. It can be incredibly stressful, but thoroughly enjoyable. So how is AD&D different from most other versions of the game? To me, the biggest difference is that it is strict with intention and equipment, relying on tactics and consideration over steamrolling the opposition.

Combat in AD&D has a very direct order, and while it may take a moment to get used to, I believe it to be superior. We begin by determining Surprise. One, both or neither of the parties may be surprised. Then we determine the distance of the encounter. This informs the players what they are capable of doing. Based on the outcome of surprise we deal with Initiative. Each character takes their turn based on the outcome of initiative, and you determine the results. Then it’s ‘rinse and repeat’ until one group flees, talks their way out of combat, or one side is dead or disabled. This is important to note: Not all encounters need to end in combat or death!

Encounters, Combat, and Initiative

When we think of AD&D combat, we have to realize it is structured in a way that is the opposite of modern versions of the game. You are not stationary in a five foot square, but rather, you are in constant motion: attacking, riposting, parrying, maneuvering, etc. This directly impacts others trying to aid you from range, and focuses much more on the weapons being used and the armor types defending against them. Some weapons are more or less effective against different types of armor. And you need a certain amount of space and time to use your weapons, as some are larger and slower than others. You are able to get as granular or as abstract as your group prefers, but all of the detail is there for you to decide what works best for your group.

Combat is divided into one minute period melee rounds. With each round divided into ten, six second segments. This is meant for simplicity. It allows everyone to perform an action while considering the scope of maneuverability and engagement. As with other versions of the game, if you are attempting to strike an opponent, you need to roll a d20 and roll over their armor class. That’s it. Your Dungeon Master, or DM will tell you if you hit, as you have no idea of the tactics, spells, or general toughness the npc or creature you are attacking is employing. It also frees up the PC to be aware of the combat area and consider tactics over focusing on a number they need to roll over.

Surprise

Surprise is simply being caught unaware or unprepared. If one party has surprise, they are granted one or more segments of initiative. Keep in mind that this is only one segment, as it may impact your actions, like trying to cast a spell for example. Most spells take longer than one segment to cast. Though you may begin casting the spell. Also consider distance, as it may be further away than you are able to close in one segment. You determine surprise by the situation, if both parties see each other coming they are clearly aware of each other, but if one suddenly opens a door and sees another party there, one or both parties may be surprised. To determine surprise, roll a d6 for each party, not each individual. On a roll of a one or two, that party is surprised. Some classes or abilities may affect this beneficially for the entire party. Yes, this means both parties may be surprised at the same time!

Surprise allows the aware party to attempt telling blows, each segment! This means if a fighter can attack twice in one round, they are able to attack twice in each surprise segment! If distance prevents melee attacks, the aware party is able to make their normal number of ranged attacks with their ranged weapons at three times the normal rate, if such weapons are ready! If ranged weapons are not ready, they may attack at their normal rate. Always remember, awareness determines surprise. If you are loud, carrying a light, or are otherwise detected, you will not earn surprise, but you may be surprised! Dexterity affects surprise as well. If you have a penalty, that will affect the individual in a number of segments equal to the penalty if surprised. Bonuses aid the individual in the same way, reducing segments. The DM must also consider the surprised parties morale when appropriate.

Distance

A quick note about encounter distance. Generally, when encounters occur, the distance is between 5” to 10”. The DM will roll a d6+4 to determine the distance. However there are other factors that go into determining distance: Line of Sight, Noise, actual area of the encounter, whether it was a planned appearance or not, surprise, or light. All this goes into the DM’s factoring on how close you are to each other, or not.

Movement

Movement is shown in inches. This is scaled to the circumstances. In combat, 1” noted, is 10’ over a turn. So a human with 12” movement, may travel 120’ in 1 round or 1 minute, or 12’ in a segment. You may move in melee, but if you want to attack, you cannot move your full speed, use the distance in segments for reference. So it may be possible for a human to move 60’ then attack in melee. If you flee from melee, you will suffer a free attack from your opponent as if from the rear.

Initiative

Surprise grants initiative for the aware party. After that initial surprise round, it is determined by again rolling a d6, and comparing the results. Initiative is rolled each and every combat round. This indicates the fortune or luck one party may have over another in any given round. The higher of the two rolls has initiative for the round. This allows one party to all act, and then the other party acts, removing the unnecessary toll of tracking dozens of combatants for the DM. However there are times when weapon speed factors and dexterity modifiers come into play!

If a PC, NPC or creature is able to take more than one attack in a round, they will attack once at the beginning of their party’s initiative, and once at the end of the round. If both parties have multiple attacks, initiative determines who strikes first and third, and who strikes second and last. Single attacks always occur in the middle of multiple attacks. If one party member has three attacks, another initiative roll occurs to determine if the attacks come before the middle round attacks. You really only have to think in terms of a d6 to determine order of combat, and a d20 for engaging in combat. All with the goal of rolling high!

Encounter Reactions

As not all encounters end in combat, nor should they, the DM has a reaction table they may consult by rolling a percentile die, and adjusting the score for Charisma or Comeliness, and applicable loyalty, and racial modifiers. This will tell you how the NPC’s or Creatures react, as most every intelligent creature can communicate if not through verbal language, than through body language. This table ranges from immediately attacking to being enthusiastically friendly. The DM may also roll a morale check if violence is the result.

Avoiding

As not every encounter results in combat, this may be due to a whole host of reasons. Even if combat breaks out, you always have the option of fleeing, or even fleeing upon the initial encounter. Gauging the strength of the foe may often be done immediately and not every encounter will be something designed for you to overcome. Sometimes you stumble into a situation you are ill prepared to deal with. Always keep this in mind, as survival is what is important, not mowing through every creature you come across.

Parleying

Communication is integral to a living world filled with intelligent NPC’s and creatures. Always remember that you may attempt to parley with whomever you encounter. This may progress or reveal plot points necessary, or avoid catastrophe, helping you determine if you are capable of dealing with the encounter or not.

Missile Discharge

Distance from other combatants may prevent you from engaging in melee. If you are so equipped you may engage in a ranged attack on your initiative. This is as simple as rolling a d20, and adding or subtracting your weapon’s Armor Class Adjustments. Then roll high. This is the process for melee attacks as well. Roll a d20, apply modifiers and hope you roll high. I can never understand why people insist this is difficult. It’s the exact same process in every version of the game.

Firing into melee is a bit tricky, as I have already mentioned, the combatants are not confined to their five foot square, they are actively moving in combat. So you assign probabilities to each melee participant you are firing into, based on their size. Small has a half value, Medium is a normal value, and Large is one and a half value. Total the values and assign a ratio. For example: Side A has 4 man sized combatants, and side B has 3 small sized and 1 large bugbear, the ratio would be 4:3. If 7 arrows were loosed, 4 would have a chance of hitting side A and 3 side B. If the number of arrows doesn’t match the number of combatants in melee, assign a percentage. In the aforementioned example, it would be 1/7 or 14-15% depending on the direction the missile is coming from. So Side A has a total 56-60% chance of being hit. Once you loose the arrow, with combatants constantly in motion, it is difficult to guarantee that the target will still be in the same spot by the time it lands.

Spell Casting During Melee

Casting spells in AD&D is a tricky process as well, as you are summoning incredible powers that other characters do not have access to. This comes at a cost however, first and foremost are the spell’s components: verbal, or speech, somatic, or movement, and component or material. If you are unable to speak or move or have the necessary components, you will not be able to cast the spell. More so, if you are hit in any way while actively casting a spell, you are interrupted and lose the spell from your memory. And yes, you must have prayed for or memorized the spell in order to cast it, as there is both clerical and magical spell casting. All of the right circumstances must align, but if they do, oh the wondrous power you wield! The required casting time is noted in the spell description as rounds, segments, or even turns. There are 10 segments in a round, and 10 rounds in a turn. Most spells will be finished casting at the end of a round.

The process is as follows: 1. The caster must declare the spell at the beginning of the round, before initiative. 2. Any attack on the caster happens on the attachers segment in the round. 3. Intelligent creatures recognize the danger of a caster and will attack them. 4. There is no Dexterity bonus when casting. And 5. Any successful attack interrupts the spell.

Turning Undead

Clerics may turn undead once per creature type, with a successful turn undead roll affecting the lowest to the highest hit die creatures. They may try against different forms of undead the following round if not targeted in the first round. Any failure to turn, disallows further attempts. You will consult the matrix for clerics affecting Undead and roll over the noted number on a d20. If successful, 1-12 undead are affected beginning with the lowest hit die creatures listed in the matrix.

Melee

There are many actions that one may engage in while in melee combat. I will cover them elsewhere. This is meant to be a primer to combat, and thus we will focus on the basics. Facing and position is incredibly important in combat. Even what side of your body you carry your shield on is. For when more than one opponent is attacking an individual, where they are located will remove dexterity and shield bonuses. If you have someone behind or flanking you, they gain a bonus to strike you, and vice versa. So always be aware of your position and that of those around you!

As with ranged attacks, you will consult your weapons armor class adjustment to determine any modifiers you apply to your d20 roll. You just need to roll higher than that target number. But with melee attacks, you will be able to apply a strength bonus to your damage, if you have one. And always keep in mind that your weapons have two damage die, one for small and medium, and one for large opponents. You are able to attack with two weapons, but the second weapon must be either a dagger or hand axe. Your primary weapon attack will have a -2 and your secondary weapon will have a -4 to the attack roll. You may even have attack adjustment penalties based on a low Dexterity. As mentioned previously, your first attack will happen at the beginning of the round, with your second attack happening at the end of the round. When important single combat occurs you will use dexterity and weapon speed factors to resolve attacking order.

Saving Throws

A quick note about saving throws: Some spells, items of creature effects may require you to make a saving throw. Consult the type of attack in the saving throw matrix and roll a d20, trying to roll over the noted number. For all combat situations, you will always want to roll high on a d20.

And those are the basics of combat in AD&D. I will return with more in depth videos about different aspects and options in combat. In addition to healing, psionics, etc.

Outro

But that is all the time I have to talk about combat in AD&D. What do you think of the process? Have you ever used weapon and spell speed factors? And finally, do you feel like this is faster or slower than modern versions of the game? Leave a comment below.

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