Combat (PHB)

The AD&D game is an adventure game designed to give players a feeling of excitement and danger. Characters brave the unknown perils of moldering dungeons and thorn-covered wilderness, facing off against hideous monsters and evil villains. Thus, it is important for all players to know the basic rules for handling combat.

To create the proper sense of danger and excitement, the rules for combat must be thorough, but they must also be playable and exciting enough to create a vivid picture in the minds of the players. Combat in the AD&D game has to allow many different actions and outcomes--as many as the imagination can produce. Knowing that anything could happen next (because the rules allow it) creates excitement for everyone.

More Than Just Hack-and-Slash

As important as fighting is to the AD&D game, it isn't the be-all and end-all of play. It's just one way for characters to deal with situations. If characters could do nothing but fight, the game would quickly get boring--every encounter would be the same. Because there is more to the game than fighting, we'll cover much more than simple hack-and-slash combat in this chapter. In addition to explaining the basic mechanics of hitting and missing, there are rules here for turning undead, special ways to attack and defend, poison, heroic feats, and more.

Table 51: Combat Modifiers

Table 51: Combat Modifiers

Situation	Attack Roll Modifier
Attacker on higher ground	+1
Defender invisible	-4
Defender off-balance	+2
Defender sleeping or held	Automatic*
Defender stunned or prone	+4
Defender surprised	+1
Missile fire, long range	-5
Missile fire, medium range	-2
Rear attack	+2

*If the defender is attacked during the course of a normal melee, the attack automatically hits and causes normal damage. If no other fighting is going on (i.e., all others have been slain or driven off), the defender can be slain automatically

Chapter 9: Combat

• Definitions
• The Attack Roll
  • Figuring the To-Hit Number · Modifiers to the Attack Roll · Impossible To Hit Numbers · Weapon Types vs. Armor Modifiers (Optional Rule)
• Calculating THAC0
• Combat and Encounters
• The Combat Round
  • What You Can Do in One Round
• The Combat Sequence
• Initiative
  • Standard Initiative Procedure
  • Initiative Modifiers
  • Group Initiative (Optional Rule)
  • Individual Initiative (Optional Rule)
  • Multiple Attacks and Initiative
  • Spellcasting and Initiative
  • Weapon Speed and Initiative (Optional Rule)
    • Magical Weapon Speeds
• Attacking with Two Weapons
• Movement in Combat
  • Movement in Melee · Movement and Missile Combat · Charging an Opponent · Retreat
• Attacking Without Killing
  • Punching and Wrestling
  • Overbearing
  • Weapons in Nonlethal Combat
  • Nonlethal Combat and Creatures
• Touch Spells and Combat
• Missile Weapons in Combat
  • Range
  • Rate of Fire
  • Ability Modifiers in Missile Combat
  • Firing into a Melee
  • Taking Cover Against Missile Fire
  • Grenade-Like Missiles
  • Types of Grenade-Like Missiles
• Special Defenses
• Parrying (Optional Rule)
• The Saving Throw
  • Rolling Saving Throws
  • Saving Throw Priority
  • Voluntarily Failing Saving Throws
  • Ability Checks as Saving Throws
  • Modifying Saving Throws
• Magic Resistance
  • Effects of Magic Resistance
  • When Magic Resistance Applies
  • Successful Magic Resistance Rolls
• Turning Undead
  • Evil Priests and Undead
• Injury and Death
  • Wounds
• Special Damage
  • Falling · PHB Ch9 Special Damage#ParalysisParalysis · Energy Drain · Poison
• Healing
  • Natural Healing · Magical Healing · Herbalism & Healing Proficiencies
• Character Death
  • Death From Poison · Death From Massive Damage · Inescapable Death · Raising the Dead