AD&D: Gygax's Example of Melee

Most of the problems with AD&D combat stem from a lack of examples in the rules. Those examples that are provided don't really explain all the details allowing the DM or players to understand what they just read. There is only ONE example of a melee combat run "by the book" in the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE (p. 71). I am reproducing it here to pull it apart and (hopefully) explain it as I have come to understand the rules over these past 3 decades of my experience running AD&D.

Example of Melee:

Party A (player characters) is composed of Aggro the Axe, a 4th level fighter; Abner, a 5th level magic-user; Arkayn, a 4th level cleric; and Arlanni, a 2nd level thief. They are hastening down a dungeon corridor in order to avoid an encounter with a large group of goblins, whose territory they are now leaving. It is a ten-foot wide corridor and they are moving with the cleric, fighter, and thief in a line in front, followed closely by the magic-user. Suddenly they round a bend and confront party B, who are earnestly engaged in squabbling over some treasure. Party B is composed of Gutboy Barrelhouse, a 6^th level dwarf fighter; Balto, a 1st level monk; Blastum, a 4th level magic-user; and Barjin, a 4th/5th level half-elf fighter/magic-user.

The first thing the DM must do is determine if either party is surprised. He rolls a d6 for party B (where the players can see it, since there are no secret modifiers) and a 2 comes up. The leader for the players rolls and gets a 4 for party A. Party B is surprised (since they rolled a 2) and will be inactive for 2 segments.

Next the DM checks distance, and finds that the parties are only 10’ apart — sufficiently near to close and strike.

Party A immediately recognizes party B as a group of “evil marauders” they were warned against and moves to attack. First, Arlanni the thief, who had her sling ready (as the player had stated previous to the encounter), fires a shot at Blastum, who is obviously a magic-user. A sling bullet gains +3 “to hit” vs. no armor. Arlanni would usually need an 11 to hit, but now needs only an 8. She rolls a 5, and misses.

Aggro the fighter rushes forward to attack the nearest opponent, who happens to be Balto, the monk. Balto is wearing no armor, so Aggro needs a base 8 to hit Balto. However, Aggro is using a +1 hand axe, and furthermore an axe is +1 to hit vs. no armor, so Aggro’s adjusted amount needed to hit is only 6 (or alternately, the cumulative +2 could be added to whatever he rolls to improve his chances of rolling an 8 or better). Aggro rolls a 14 and hits Balto, but only 1 point of damage is rolled, plus a 1 point bonus from the magic axe (2 points total), and Balto can take 4.

Meanwhile, Abner and Arkayn have been preparing short (first level) spells. The cleric shouts a command of “surrender!” at Gutboy Barrelhouse, but Gutboy is 6th level and thus gets a saving throw. Furthermore, he is a dwarf with a constitution of 16, and thus saves at +4. He therefore needs a 10 or better to save (instead of a 14). He rolls a 17 and saves easily. Unfortunately, he is almost simultaneously hit by two magic missiles from Abner, the magic-user. Against these there is no save, and Gutboy suffers 6 points of damage (from a possible 4-10).

As party B is surprised for 2 segments, party A has a chance to hit in each segment as if they were full rounds (this does not apply to spell use, of course). In the second segment, Arlanni chooses to set down her crossbow and unsheathe her sword. Aggro would normally get another chance to hit Balto, who would be inactive for another segment, but Balto’s dexterity allows him a +1 reaction adjustment, which means that he personally will be surprised for one less segment than the rest of his party. So this segment he is up and on his guard, and Aggro does not get another hit attempt this round. Arkayn the cleric readies his mace as Abner steps back and begins to unroll a scroll for use next round.

Now initiative dice are rolled, and party A’s score is lower, so party B gets to react to the assault. Balto attacks Aggro (who is in AC 2) with his staff. He needs a base 18 to hit, and the -7 armor class adjustment for sword vs. plate mail and shield makes this a 20. He (the DM) rolls a 19 — almost, but not quite! Gutboy Barrelhouse and Barjin the fighter/magic-user both attack Arkayn. That cleric’s AC is only 5. Gutboy has +1 to hit due to strength, and his hammer’s armor class adjustment vs. scale mail and shield is +1, so he needs a 9 or better to hit (11 before bonuses). He rolls a 12 and hits for 5 points of damage (including 1 point of bonus damage from strength). Barjin, with a sword, needs a 13 or better to hit Arkayn. He rolls a 13 exactly, and hits for 6 more points of damage. Arkayn is starting to have second thoughts about this whole affair.

Meanwhile, Blastum has been preparing a shocking grasp spell, and now he steps forward and touches (rolls a successful “to hit” die score) Arlanni the thief, delivering 10 points of damage (1-8 + 4). There is no saving throw: Arlanni has only 8 hit points, and dies.

On the left, Aggro again attacks Balto with his axe. He rolls a 12 and hits him for 5 points. Balto only had two points left, so he is dead.

Arkayn chooses to attempt to hit Gutboy Barrelhouse. The dwarf is clad in splint mail, but he is carrying a +2 shield, so his effective armor class is 1 (though his armor type is 3). Arkayn needs a base 17 to hit AC 1, but using a mace vs. AC type 3 gives him a +1 armor class adjustment, so he really only needs a 16 or better. He rolls a 7 and misses.

During this time, Abner has been reading a web spell from the scroll, and now it takes effect. The web stretches from wall to wall and entangles Gutboy, Barjin, Blastum (who was beginning spell preparations though now they’re ruined and the spell is lost), and the unfortunate Arkayn, who was too near not to get caught. All attempt saving throws, but only Gutboy Barrelhouse makes his, and thus is only partially entangled. However, even his 17 strength will not enable him to escape the web in time to avoid being subsequently subdued or killed by Aggro. The melee is effectively over: Arkayn can be helped out of the web by his friends, while Barjin and Blastum are basically helpless to avoid whatever the player characters have in mind concerning them.

As you can see, a large number of things can happen in each round of melee, yet this whole fight took only two minutes of game time. Some melees will last far longer. It may seem at first as if there is a tremendous number of confusing variables that modify the action, but you’ll be surprised at how quickly you’ll be able to conduct a complicated melee and routinely cover every point. An experienced DM can do it with only an occasional reference to the tables (though it is not recommended that you try this – wait until it comes naturally). The main thing to remember is to do everything in an orderly, step-by-step fashion. Deal with your players’ actions and reactions one by one instead of all at once, or you will never be able to keep track of what round it is, and who’s doing what when.

ANALYSIS

Party A 

• Aggro the Axe (human Fighter 4th level)
• Abner (human Magic-User 5th level)
• Arkayn (human Cleric 4th level)
• Arlanni (human Thief 2nd level)

Party B

• Gutboy Barrelhouse (dwarf Fighter 6th level)
• Balto (human Monk 1st level); hp: 4
• Blastum (human Magic-User 4th level)
• Barjin (half-elf Fighter/Magic-User 4th/5th level)

Surprise (DMG pp. 61-62)

Party A (2 in 6) rolls 4, Party B (2 in 6) rolls 2. Therefore, Party B is surprised for 2 segments.

Distance (DMG p. 62)

Normal dungeon encounter distance in (1d6+4)”; However, since Party B was surprised, the DM rolls 1d3 (surprise distance) and the result is 1” (close enough for melee strikes). Remember that these are SCALE INCHES so 1" = 10 feet (indoors).

Surprise segment 1 (DMG p. 62)

Arlanni the Thief has sling ready; aims it at Blastum the magic-user (+3 to hit vs. no armor); needs an 8 to hit (2nd level Thief "to hit" AC 10 needs 11 –3 sling = 8); rolls a 5 and misses.

Aggro the Fighter rushes forward (only 10' so he can still attack this segment) to attack Balto the Monk who wears no armor; he attacks with a +1 hand axe and has +1 to hit AC 10; he needs a 6 to hit (4th level Fighter "to hit" AC 10 needs 8 –1 magic –1 axe = 6); rolls a 14 and hits, rolling 2 points of dmg (1d6 +1 from magic axe).

Arkayn the Cleric prepares Command spell of “surrender” (1 segment) and casts it at Gutboy the Dwarf Fighter; being a 6th level fighter he gets a saving throw vs. spells (F6 save vs. spell is 14 – 4 vs. magic from dwarf abilities = 10); he rolls a 17 and easily shakes off the spell. Remember that a 1 segment spell takes the WHOLE segment to cast, which it why it is happening now at the end of the segment.

Abner the Magic-User simultaneously casts magic missile at Gutboy (1 segment spell); no saving throw so Gutboy takes 6 points of damage from 2 missiles (out of possible 2d4+2). See the above note on why this spell is happening at the end of the segment. 

Surprise segment 2

Arlanni the Thief decides to set down her SLING (thieves cannot use crossbows, Gary) and unsheathe her sword. It's probable that, since he had it right initially, this was simply an editing error.

Balto’s Dex allows an adjustment to Reactions of +1, which means that personally he is not surprised on this second segment; so he and Aggro face off against each other but Aggro cannot take another surprise attack this segment. So, as far as surprise goes, these two must now wait until surprise is over to continue fighting each other under standard initiative rules.

Arkayn the Cleric readies his mace (this is unnecessary since he could have cast the command spell with mace in hand anyway - it has only a verbal component).

Abner steps back (12’ maximum) and begins unrolling a scroll for the next round of combat. This assumes that the scroll was located within easy reach, perhaps in a scroll case tucked in his belt.

Initiative Round 1 (DMG p. 62)

Party B wins initiative. (Assumed rolls: party A = 1, party B = 2)

Balto attacks Aggro the Fighter with his staff, not a sword (vs. AC type 2 he has –7 to hit); he needs a 20 but only rolls a 19.

Gutboy Barrelhouse attacks Arkayn the cleric; Gutboy must hit AC 5, but has +1 to hit from strength, and +1 to hit AC 5 with a hammer so he needs a 9 to hit (6th level Fighter vs. AC 5 needs 11 – 1 from STR – 1 from hammer vs. AC = 9); he rolls a 12 and hits causing 5 points of damage (1d4+1, +1 from STR).

Barjin also attacks Arkayn with his sword, needing a 13 to hit (4th level Fighter vs. AC 5 = 13, no adjustments); he rolls a 13 and hits (barely) for an additional 6 points of damage (1d8).

Blastum has been casting a Shocking Grasp (1 segment) spell and after completed he steps forward to touch Arlanni the Thief; his attack succeeds and he causes 10 points of damage (1d8+1 per level); there is no saving throw so Arlanni, who has only 8 hit points, falls unconscious (-2 hp), not dead. Note that the spell came last since he needed the entire 1st segment to cast it. Why? Because obviously the spell is cast starting on the beginning of the round, and since his party won the initiative, they all go on the losing initiative roll of 1, which equates to the 1st segment. 

Party A lost initiative.

Aggro attacks Balto again with his axe; he needed a 6 and rolls a 12, hitting him for 5 points of damage (1d6); Balto only has 2 hit points left and falls over dying (-3 hp), not dead yet. Per the DMG p. 82, "When any creature is brought to 0 hit points (optionally as low as -3 hit points if from the same blow which brought the total to 0), it is unconscious. In each of the next succeeding rounds 1 additional (negative) point will be lost until -10 is reached and the creature dies." What if the creature takes sufficient damage to reach -4 or lower? Well, in that case, the creature is slain outright. The dying condition only seems to occur at 0 hp (or 0 to -3 hit points if the DM is following this optional rule). This is all per the rules and trumps the death at 0 hp rule from the PLAYERS HANDBOOK as the DMG is the final word on all AD&D rules, being the last of the three core books published.

Arkayn chooses to attack the dwarf who is wearing splint mail and a shield +2 (AC 1, but AC type 3); Arkayn needs a 16 to hit (4th level Cleric vs. AC 1 needs 17 – 1 from mace vs. AC 3 = 16); he rolls a 7 and misses.

Abner has been reading his scroll of web (2 segments) during the round, and it now takes effect, stretching from wall to wall across the corridor, ensnaring Gutboy, Barjin, and Blastum and the unfortunate Arkayn who was too close to the edge; all attempt saving throws vs. spell but only Gutboy succeeds and is thus only partially entangled; however, even a 17 strength will not allow him to escape the web in time before Aggro can kill or subdue him. Blastum could not have been casting another spell since he already cast shocking grasp this round on Arlanni. He could have been readying components to cast for next round, but that is not how the statement was worded and would not have resulted in the loss of a spell. Note that the casting time of web requires 2 full segments to cast, so this spell had to be started at the beginning of the combat and completes after all others have gone on the 2nd segment. If the initiative were tied, then each action goes simultaneously. This is why I assumed that the party who won initiative rolled a 2.

The melee is over. Arkayn can be cut free of the web by his friends, but Barjin and Blastum are caught in the web and are helpless to defend themselves against whatever the party has planned. According to the web spell, the area of effect affects a maximum area of 8 cubic inches (that's SCALE INCHES folks). The corridor here is stated as being 10' wide, we have no idea how tall the ceiling is (but we can assume it is at least 10' tall), so the web extends back down the corridor for 80' beyond the combat area! I assume that the maximum area was not used here, and spells can only be cast into areas the caster can see, so let's assume that the mass is only half as long as that, filling an area 10' x 10' x 40' long down the corridor. Creatures in the web with less than 13 Strength are helplessly entangled until freed by another or the spell ends. Creatures of 13-17 Strength can break through 1 foot of webs per turn (that's 10 rounds). Creatures with 18+ strength can break through 1 foot per round. It states that Saving throws vs. the spell are made at -2. If the save is made, two results may have occurred. If the creature has room to escape, then he is assumed to have jumped free. If there is no room to escape, the webs are only 1/2 strength. So Gutboy Barrelhouse, engaged in melee combat in a 10'-wide corridor had nowhere else to escape to. He could break free at the rate of 1 foot every 5 rounds since he has a 17 Strength.

Arlanni and Balto are both dying, not dead: Arlanni will die in 8 rounds and Balto will die in 7 rounds. Anyone can halt this loss of life by spending 1 round to help them. Any cures used to bring them back to consciousness will still result in the cured being in a coma for 1-6 turns, requiring a week of bed rest to recover fully thereafter. No action can be taken when awake except to eat food, rest, or move to a place of safety (DMG p 82).

There is no rule that the character dies at 0 hit points in the DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE. That rule only exists in previous versions of the game and is apparently carried over in the PLAYERS HANDBOOK. See above for the actual rule in the DMG.

PHB, page 105 states: Damage is meted out in hit points. If any creature reaches 0 or negative hit points, it is dead. Certain magical means will prevent actual death, particularly a ring of regeneration (cf. MONSTER MANUAL, Troll).

Since the DMG was published after the PHB, it is safe to assume that Gygax thought death at 0 hit points to no longer be a viable rule. He thus changed the point at which death occurs to -4 hp (or -10 hp if dying). This rule greatly increases the chance of a character surviving at lower levels without guaranteeing success. However, this combat example seems to be written using the former ruling from the PLAYERS HANDBOOK. Since the opposing party was obviously a DM-controlled NPC party, having them die at 0 hp or -10 hp is moot since the PCs are not likely to keep them alive unless they want information from them. Most "good guys" don't take hostages for ransom, and most players seek to loot dead bodies, not carry live enemies to a place where they can "sleep it off" once they are defeated. A paladin or LG character might argue otherwise....

One final note: Gygax said this whole melee took only two minutes of game time. This really took 1 minute 12 seconds to complete (each full round is 1 minute long + 2 segments of 6 seconds each). A combat is assumed to take up 1 full turn of exploration minimum, no matter how long it actually takes, since the extra time is spent cleaning blood off weapons, recovering spent ammunition, and picking oneself up off the floor or resting after a grueling combat. It is assumed that party A was hustling along the corridor because they had already mapped it on their way into the goblins' territory (thus they were moving at 5 times normal speed, per PHB p. 102). This accounts for Part B being surprised, and since they were arguing they were not listening for the armored party A's approach.