The Dragon Magazine™ Combat Calculator

Welcome to DragonLance Saga Readings. Today we are reading the special attraction article The Dragon Magazine™ Combat Calculator by Laura and Tracy Hickman from Dragon Magazine #74, June 1983.

There is an updated version of this AD&D 1ed Combat Computer on the Mage of the Striped Tower blog: https://mageofthestripedtower.blogspot.com/2012/02/ad-1ed-combat-computer.html

Intro

Welcome to another DragonLance Saga Readings episode! It is Misham, Frostkolt the 21st. My name is Adam and today I am reading the Special Attraction article The Dragon Magazine™ Combat Calculator by Laura and Tracy Hickman from Dragon Magazine #74, June 1983.

I would like to take a moment to say thank you to all of the members of this channel for your time, attention and support. And remind you that you can always pick up Dragonlance gaming materials using my affiliate links in the description below.

Discussion

• Mage of the Striped Tower: AD&D 1ed Combat Computer
  https://mageofthestripedtower.blogspot.com/2012/02/ad-1ed-combat-computer.html

One of the most complex and tiring tasks facing the
earnest Dungeon Master in an AD&D™ adventure is the
proper and efficient resolution of melee. Combat is a blessing
and a curse: On one hand, it provides the right atmosphere
for conveying the thrill and the danger of the
heroic fantasy milieu; indeed, without combat there could
be no game. On the other hand, even the most experienced
DMs find the mechanics of conducting combat to be timeconsuming
— even with all the pertinent charts, tables,
and rules spread out before them — and players must wait
to know the outcome while the DM is referencing and
cross-referencing all of his charts and tables.
Now, help is at hand. The DRAGON™ Magazine Combat
Computer, reproduced on cardboard stock in the center
of this issue of the magazine, is designed to help the
DM save time and prevent mistakes when determining “to
hit” numbers for missile or melee combat. It’s easy to
assemble, and almost as simple to use.

HOW IT GOES TOGETHER
Carefully separate the sheet of cardboard from the rest of
the magazine by pulling it gently away from the staples,
or by prying up the ends of the staples, pulling the cardboard
out, and re-closing the staples to keep the magazine
Your Combat Computer will be stronger and more
pages properly bound. The larger of the two discs is the
durable if you glue a second sheet of cardboard to the
unprinted side of the magazine cardboard. Be sure the
adhesive you use forms a tight seal around the outer edge
base, and the smaller disc is the plate.
of each wheel, and around the edges of the windows that
are cut out of the plate. For even more durability, you may
choose to have the discs laminated after they are cut out.

Cut around the outside of each disc along the heavy
black outline, using a scissors and a steady hand. Then use
a modeling knife, if you have one, and a straightedge to
Use a sharp pointed object to punch a small “starter”
cut out the gray blocks outlined in black on the front of
hole in the center of each disc. Then push a small brass
paper fastener through the holes to hold the plate against
the plate. These holes are the windows through which the
the top of the disc. Turn the assembly over and spread the
tabs of the fastener flat against the back of the base. Turn
armor class adjustments for various weapons are read.
the assembly face up again and slide the discs around a
few times to be sure they move freely.

HOW IT WORKS
The Combat Computer offers a quick way to crossindex
the armor class of the defender with the experience
level or hit dice of the attacker, which yields the attacker’s
base “to hit” number.
To determine this number, line up the pointer on the
edge of the plate with the number on the inner ring of the
base that represents the defender’s armor class. Look at the
colored bands on the plate, known as the Class/Level Arc.
(The divisions, reading from the outside in, are for fighters,
monsters, clerics, thieves, and magic-users.) Find the
colored band and the level or hit-dice range that applies to
the attacker, and refer to the “break line” (to the left of the

arrowhead) for that section of the colored band. Follow
this line toward the edge of the base, and it will point to
the base number needed “to hit” for that attacker against
that defender.
Example: A 3rd level fighter is attacking an adversary
armored in chain mail (AC 5). Line up the pointer on the
plate with the number 5 on the inner ring of numbers on
the base. Locate the section of the fighter band (colored
red) that pertains to 3rd-4th level characters and follow the
path of that section’s break line toward the edge of the
base. The break line points to the number 13, which is the
fighter’s base chance “to hit” in this situation.

ARMOR CLASS ADJUSTMENTS
One of the most often overlooked parts of the AD&D
combat system is the Armor Class Adjustment section of
the weapons table on page 38 of the Players Handbook. It
stands to reason that someone using his bare fist, for
instance, ought to have a better chance to hit (and thereby
do damage to) against an unarmored opponent than
against an opponent wearing plate mail. Although most
of the armor class adjustments for weapons are much more
subtle than the bonuses and penalties for using a bare fist,
they are all important; failure to take them into account
during the resolution of melee can mean the death of a

character or creature who otherwise would have survived.
Unfortunately, the Combat Computer can’t automatically
compute these adjustments, but it does display them.
This is where the “weapon windows” on the plate come
into use. When the Combat Computer is correctly aligned
to yield a base “to hit” number, each window reveals the
bonuses and penalties that apply for all the weapons listed
in the Players Handbook. Without moving the plate, find
the window that displays the adjustment for the weapon
in question, and either subtract the number given from the
character’s base “to hit” number, or add it to the player’s

actual “to hit” die roll before determining success or failure.
(Remember that subtracting a negative number is the
same as adding a positive number of the same value.)
Example: Our 3rd level fighter from the previous example,
facing an opponent armored in chain mail, has a base
“to hit” number of 13. His weapon of the moment is a
battle axe. By looking in the proper window (immediately

counterclockwise from the pointer, in this case), the DM
notes that the battle axe brings with it a –1 penalty “to
hit” against armor class 5. To account for this, the DM
can either subtract –1 from the character’s base “to hit”
number (making the number needed 14 instead of 13), or
add –1 to the player’s actual roll (decreasing the result)
before announcing whether a hit has occurred.

APPARENT VS. ENHANCED ARMOR CLASS
Anyone who has turned the plate too far in one direction
or the other has already seen by now that something
“goes wrong” when a defender’s armor class is better
(lower) than 2: That is, the “weapon windows” don’t line
up properly with the columns of numbers beneath them.
Does this mean that the Combat Computer only works for
armor classes of 2 through 10?
No — but to use it for combat involving armor classes
of better than 2, or for any melee involving characters having
bonuses or penalties to their AC, it’s necessary to distinguish
between apparent armor class and enhanced
armor class.
Regardless of the actual armor class a piece of equipment
provides its wearer, the apparent AC of that armor is
the same as for all armor of that type. The armor class
adjustments given in the Players Handbook, and reproduced
on the Combat Computer, only apply to apparent
armor classes — those between 2 and 10 inclusive.
For example, a man in +3 chain mail has an armor class
of 2, for combat purposes. But the apparent AC of his
armor is 5, just as for all types of chain mail. The armor
class adjustments for weapons apply to all objects of a certain
armor type, magical or not.
A character’s actual armor class may be enhanced by a
number of objects and factors: dexterity (high or low;
“enhancement” works both ways), magic items, magic
spells, possibly such things as physical condition. Whenever
a defender’s armor class is enhanced for any reason,
using the Combat Computer becomes a simple two-step
process:
First, line up the plate and the base according to the
defender’s apparent armor class. Read the proper “weapon
window” to obtain the armor class adjustment, if any, that
applies to the attacker’s weapon.

Then rotate the plate until the pointer is opposite the
defender’s enhanced armor class number and read the
proper “break line” of the Class/Level Arc to obtain the
attacker’s base “to hit” number against that armor class.
Take into account the armor class adjustment for weapon
type determined in the first step, and the result is an accurate
“to hit” determination that takes less time to perform
than to describe.
Example: Our 3rd level fighter won’t know it for a few
more seconds, but his opponent is actually decked out in
+4 chain mail. This gives his foe an actual (enhanced)
armor class of 1, but still an apparent AC of 5, just as if
the chain mail was not magical. To resolve the matter, the
DM first lines up the Combat Computer as in the previous
example, noting the “weapon window” and establishing
that the fighter has a –1 penalty “to hit” with a battle axe
against chain mail (apparent AC 5). Now he turns the
plate so the pointer is lined up with armor class 1 on the
inner ring of the base, and then reads up from the proper
line on the Class/Level Arc. This reveals that the fighter’s
base number “to hit” against armor class 1 is 17; this
number is then modified either before or after the die roll
to take the –1 penalty into account.
As a double-check against accidentally lining up the
plate and the base improperly, a black patch will appear
in one or more of the “weapon windows” whenever the
pointer on the plate is rotated beyond the range of armor
classes 2 through 10. If black shows through any of the
windows when you’re looking for a “to hit” number, that
means you’re dealing with an enhanced armor class; to
obtain the correct armor class adjustment for the attacker’s
weapon (if you haven’t done that already), you’ll have to
“back up” the plate to the defender’s apparent armor class
so the correct adjustment will be displayed.

OTHER ASSISTANCE
Printed on the plate in note form in various places are
many commonly used “to hit” adjustments, taken from
the pages of the Players Handbook. These notes enable the
DM to have at hand virtually all of the information
needed to properly resolve a combat situation. Of course,
many particular magic items and spells have an effect
either on either the defender’s armor class or the attacker’s
“to hit” number. These effects cannot be taken into
account by a device such as the Combat Computer, and
will have to be notated and allowed for by the DM when
they are present.

The Combat Computer, when used by itself, will prove
to be a time-saver for the DM and also will serve as assurance
to players that their characters’ “to hit” numbers are
being calculated accurately and consistently. When used in
conjunction with an AD&D Dungeon Masters Screen, or
with the reference charts on page 124 of the Players Handbook,
the Combat Computer will still help to speed up
play by putting most of the essential information literally
at the DM’s fingertips. Learn how to use the Combat
Computer, and you’ll soon be playing a round of combat
in almost as short a time as it takes to swing a sword!

CREDITS
Design and development: Laura and Tracy Hickman
Graphic design: Roger Raupp
Text editing: Kim Mohan

The Dragon Magazine Combat Calculator

Outro

Thank you for tuning into this DragonLance Saga Reading! What did you think of the Combat calculator? Did you ever play AD&D? Feel free to email me at info@dlsaga.com or leave a comment below. 

This channel is all about celebrating the wonderful world of the Dragonlance Saga, and I thank you for joining me in the celebration. Thank you for watching, this has been Adam with DragonLance Saga and until next time Slàinte mhath (slan-ge-var).

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