Advanced Dungeons & Dragons®
Player’s Option™:
Combat & Tactics
Table of Contents
Foreword
Credits
Chapter One:
Player’s Option™ Combat System
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
The Battle Map
Figures and Facing
Scale
Melee Scale
Range
Weapons
Monsters
Missile Scale
Switching Scale
Combined Scale
The Combat Round
Combat Rounds and Game Time
Spell Durations
Combat Status
Clear
Threatened
Unusual Monsters and Threatening
Grappled
Attacks of Opportunity
Movement
Base Movement
Exceptional Abilities and Movement
Strength
Dexterity
Encumbrance
Simplified Encumbrance
Opening the Battle
Surprise
Encounter Distance
Setup
The Five Basic Steps of Every Combat Round
Step One: Monster Action Determination
Step Two: Player Action Declaration
Step Three: Initiative
Step Four: Resolution of Actions
Step Five: End of Round Resolution
Initiative
The Initiative Roll
Base Initiative
Weapon Speeds
Critical Events
Combat Actions
Combat Actions and Movement
No-Move Actions
Half-Move Actions
Full-move Actions
Movement and Initiative
Combat Movement on the Battle Map
Moving Through Other Figures in Combat
Overruns
Choosing an Action
The Actions
Attack
Cast a Spell
Charge
Cover
Fire/Throw Missiles
Guard
Move
Parry
Run
Sprint
Unarmed Combat
Use A Magical Item
Withdraw
Ending the Combat Round
Retreats
Fatigue
Keeping Track of Fatigue
Effects of Fatigue
Recovering from Fatigue
Effects of Force Marching on Fatigue
Morale
Informal Morale Checks
Formal Morale Checks
Failing a Morale Check
Status
Special Combat Conditions
Standard and Optional AD&D Rules
Movement and Footing
Cover and Concealment
Mounts
Rear or Flank Attacks
Sitting, Kneeling, and Lying Prone
Damage and Dying
Weapon Type vs. Armor Type
Firing Into a Melee
Additional Rules
Higher Ground
Knockdowns
Critical Hits
The Gray Areas
Example of Combat
Round One
Round Two
Round Three
Round Four
Chapter Two:
Combat Options
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
Battle Tactics
Shield Wall
Versus Missiles
Versus Melee
Spear Hedges
Mounted Charge
Archery from Horseback
Attack Options
The Opposed Roll
Block
Called Shot
Disarm
Grab
Overbear
Pull/Trip
Sap
ShieldPunch
ShieldRush
Special Weapon Maneuver
Trap
Trap and Break
Unarmed Attack
Unhorse
Fighting Styles
Single Weapon
Two-handed Weapon
Size and Two-handed Weapons
One or Two-handed Weapons
One-handed Weapons used Two-handed
Weapon and Shield
Two Weapon
Unarmed
Missile or Thrown Weapon
Multiple Loaded Weapons
Thrown Weapons
Weapon-Specific Styles
Dueling
What’s A Duel?
Initiative
The Dueling Plot
Attacking in the Right Spot
Reading an Opponent’s Move
Moving the Figures
Choice of Defense
Choice of Attack
Ending a Duel
Heroic Frays
Chapter Three: The Battlefield
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
Battlefields
The Four Basic Battlefields
Dungeons or Caves
Town or Building
Outside
Castles or Fortifications
Battlefield Characteristics
Encounter Range
Lines of Fire
Cover and Concealment
Footing
Obstacles
Unusual Materials or Hazards
Terrain Types
Badlands
Caves
Desert
Fields or Farmland
Forest, Heavy or Jungle
Forest, Light
Hills
Marsh
Mountains
Plains
Ships
Swamp
Taverns
Town Streets
Generating a Battlefield
Step One: Scale
Step Two: Topography
Flat
Hilly
Broken
Slopes and Escarpments
Step Three: Ground Cover and Water
Clear
Thickets
Light Woods
Heavy Woods
Clear
Bog
Stream
Pond
Step Four: Obstacles
Step Five: Putting It All Together
Fighting in Unusual Conditions
Limited Visibility
Moonlight or Moderate Fog or Rain
Starlight or Dense Fog or Heavy Rain
Total Darkness
Water
Weapon Restrictions
Vision
Movement
Fighting Underwater Monsters From the Surface
Climbing
Movement
Fighting
Fighting Flying Creatures
Aerial Combat
Initiative
Threatening
Movement
Attacks from Below
Attacks from Above
Unseating a Rider
Combat on Other Planes
Astral Combat
Ethereal Combat
The Effects of Magic on the Battlefield
Wizard Spells
Priest Spells
Magical Items
Chapter Four: Weapon Specialization & Mastery
Weapon Proficiencies
Intelligence and Proficiencies
Proficiencies and the Weapon Groups
Specialization and Weapon Groups
Character Classes and Weapon Proficiencies
Kits and Barred Weapons
New Weapons
Shield Proficiency
Armor Proficiency
Weapon Mastery
Nonproficiency
Familiarity
Proficiency
Expertise
Specialization
Melee Weapons
Missile Weapons
Bows
Crossbows
Firearms
Weapon Mastery
Effects of Mastery
High Mastery
Grand Mastery
Special DM Note
Fighting Style Specializations
Weapon and Shield Style
One-handed Weapon Style
Two-handed Weapon Style
TwoWeapon Style
Missile or Thrown Weapon Style
Horse Archers
Local Fighting Styles
Special Talents
Chapter Five:
Unarmed Combat
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
Brawling
Brawling Attacks Against Armed Opponents
Temporary Damage
Opposed Rolls
Pummeling
Pummeling Procedures
Pummeling Skill Levels
An Example of Pummeling
Special Pummeling Maneuvers
Sapping
Kicking
Wrestling
Wrestling Procedures
Holds
Previously Established Holds and Locks
Breaking Free
Assistance
Locks
Wrestler Versus Wrestler
Wrestling Skill Levels
An Example of Wrestling
Overbearing
Overbearing Procedures
Pins
Effects of Pins
Maintaining and Breaking Pins
Assistance
Overbearing Skill Levels
An Example of Overbearing
Attack Options and Unarmed Attacks
Subdual Attacks
An Example of Subduing
Martial Arts
Martial Arts Procedures
Martial Arts Skill Levels
Martial Arts Weapons
An Example of Martial Arts Combat
Martial Arts Talents
Chapter Six:
Critical Hits
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
Critical Hits: System I
Critical Hits: System II
Critical Hit Charts
Location
Severity
Resistance
Reading the Critical Hit Tables
Specific Injuries
Critical Hit Effects
Critical Hit Tables
Chapter Seven:
Weapons & Armor
Equipment Groups
Reading the Equipment Lists
Stone Age or Savage Cultures
Tools/Common
The Bronze Age and Ancient Cultures
Roman
Dark Ages
The Crusades
Hundred Years’ War
The Renaissance
Middle Eastern
Oriental
Firearms
Armor
Master Weapon List
Weapon Descriptions
Weapons Tables
Weapon Groups
Weapons and Ability Bonuses
Armor Descriptions
Chapter Eight:
Siege Warfare
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
War Machines
Bombardment Engines
Ballista
Bombard
Cannon
Catapult
Trebuchet
Bombardment Engine Procedures
Indirect Fire Engines
An Example of Indirect Bombardment
Direct Fire Engines
An Example of Direct Bombardment
Vehicles
Chariot
Howdah
Carrying Capacities For Beasts
Wagon
Driving Checks and Flipping Over
Ramming
Miscellaneous War Machines
Battering Ram
Bore
Cauldron
Gallery Shed
Greek Fire Projector
Mantlet/Abatis
Ram Catcher
Rocks
Critical Hits and Knockdown Dice
Multiple Targets
Siege Tower
Escalades
The Approach of A Castle
Walls
Wall Defenses
Scaling Walls
Ladders
Grappling Hooks
War Machine vs. War Machine
Fires
Sapping
Petards
Creatures Inside Destroyed Targets
Magical Attacks
Sieges
Reduction
Reduction Procedures
Saving Throw Failure
Mines
Counter Mining
Investment
Mass Combat
Mass Combat Procedures
An Example of Mass Combat
Proficiencies
Chapter Nine:
Monsters
Does This Belong in My Campaign?
Creatures in Battle
Intelligence
Alignment
Morale
Creature Types
Humanoid
Animal
Monster
Attack and Armor Types
Attacks
Armor
Index
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