Middle Earth for Basic/Expert Rules

I spent some time today on the Dragonsfoot forums for B/X D&D and found someone's post which struck a creative chord in me. The piece of genius that sparked this whole train of thought was that Tolkien's elves are CLERICS, not MAGIC-USERS!! This revelation was startling to me, since I've been trying to resolve the issue of clerics in a Middle Earth campaign for many years. Here's my take on the subject:

MIDDLE EARTH D&D Campaign

This conversion attempts to reconcile the books by J.R.R. Tolkien and the ruleset of B/X Dungeons & Dragons for use as a role-playing game experience.

Classes of Middle Earth

• Fighter: a fighting man using only weapons and armor; ex. Boromir, Faramir, Riders of Rohan
• Magic-User: a man using magic (sorcery); ex. Grima Wormtongue, various lesser sorcerers of Mordor
• Thief: a man using stealth, guile, and wits; ex. Bandits in Bree, scouts of Ithilien
• Elf: a demi-human elder race, fluent in the divine magic of Iluvatar; ex. Galadriel, Elrond, Legolas
• Ranger: a semi-divine race of humans with elven blood; ex. Aragorn, the Dunedain
• Hobbit: a demi-human race of comfort-seeking simple folk; ex. Bilbo Baggins, Frodo, Sam Gamgee
• Dwarf: a demi-human race of greedy miners and builders; ex. Gimli, any of the company of Thorin Oakenshield.

Note that there are no clerics in Middle Earth. The elves are semi-divine (have divine grace) and serve as the healers and defeaters of the undead in this world. Therefore, elves in Middle Earth are both Fighters and Clerics (not magic-users), although they may use any magic items of Elven origin (unless corrupted). They should also have the ability to Turn the undead as per clerics. Instead of having one god, they worship all the Ainur equally. The elven version of ‘the afterlife’ applies to elves only, and has them sailing west to Valinar, the Lands of the West. I believe that those of elven blood (the line of Numenor) would also be welcome in the West. What happens to the souls of those who are not elves? This is unknown.

NOTE: Characters such as Gandalf, Saruman, and Radigast are actually members of an immortal race descended from the gods (Ainur) and as such have internal powers of magic that mortal characters cannot achieve. Only those taught magic by masters of sorcery may cast spells, and this is mostly considered to be ‘dark magic’. The disciples of Sauron were known to be sorcerers of some power (he himself was known to be a Necromancer). As such, the Wizards (or Istari) are not available for Player Characters, and only the lesser sorcerers are allowed (most with dark origins).

Rangers are descended from the line of Numenorean Kings (and so have some elven blood) which allows them to tap into the divine magic of the elves. They achieve spell casting abilities more slowly, but are otherwise more like Fighters than Clerics. Rangers can never cast higher than 3^rd level cleric spells (Aragorn himself was known to be a healer of lesser power, and was able to speak with the dead and compel them into service based on their past oaths). Not all those descended from the line of Numenor were spellcasters; thus most were considered Fighters only. I see these rangers as having increased surprise capability, wilderness survival skills, access to low-level cleric spells (1st - 2nd, maybe 3rd level spells), and the ability to speak the elven language for free.

It is important to note that player characters are considered to be “better than the norm” and all those who seek adventure are, in some way, considered unusual for their kind (Bilbo, for example). Therefore, descendants of Numenor would be most likely to be human player characters (Fighters, Rangers, Magic-users), while the rest of humanity are considered un-classed Normal Men, Fighters or Thieves. Therefore, in order to be a true king, one must have elven blood or heritage (i.e. be descended from the line of Numenor), so only that line may advance past 8^th level in Fighter. This is important - since the Stewards of Gondor could never rightfully claim kingship as a result (no Lord title). A Magic-user (sorcerer) may rival the power of the Istari, but will never surpass their magical abilities (since they are supernatural beings of immortal-level power). It also explains why Gandalf or Saruman are never seen carrying around or referencing a spellbook of any kind. A soft cap for all characters would be 14^th level (the end of the Expert Rules), as most adventurers do, eventually, seek to settle down and live the good life. Since training is not an issue, large sums of treasure mean little other than to allow a means for characters to live in comfort the rest of their lives.

Elves should be considered immortal - able to die only by mortal wounds or by grief (or loneliness). An elf is able to will themselves to die (which they refer as going to the Halls of Mandos). If they grow weary of the struggle between light and darkness, they can opt to leave Middle Earth and journey West (to heaven). This would be some good explanation of why they are unaffected by some undead attacks. Not sure if the raise dead spell works on elves in B/X D&D, but it would also tie in to this theme since they are spirits cloaked in flesh, not beings with souls. They will, however, diminish in time, losing their power as the bloodlines of men come to rise in power. There would be much magic lost to the world.

One additional thing to mention is the creation of items of power (magic items). Apparently, magic items in Middle Earth are created by highly skilled artisans and develop a character (or taint) of their creator. Those items created by the elves (and even the master dwarves) are considered magical since they are imprinted with the psyche of their creator. Sauron learned his ring-crafting from the elves and used sorcery to pervert the nature of the rings to obey his will (thus corrupting them through the One Ring which held much his own psyche, and is probably the reason why he was able to achieve the things he did as a disembodied spirit after being defeated). The dwarven Arkenstone was probably imprinted with the greed of a dwarf for treasure, and so it amplified and magnified it to the point that the possessor became overcome with greed and selfishness (and this was probably not helped by the fact that it spent so long with the dragon Smaug). So, effectively, the creation of magic items has more to do with psychic impression than magic. Magic-users, who do not possess great skill in crafting can still enchant items, but they must be made by a master craftsman first and then laboriously worked on and instilled with magic by the sorcerer so desiring such an item. Magic items can also be corrupted through psychic connection with dark magic (as the Palantiri were by Sauron). I would allow an Elf character to create a magic item (and use any magic item created using elven magic) simply by crafting it (spending time and money, and perhaps imparting it with some spell ability of a generic nature). This would explain all those elven blades, mithril armor suits, elven cloaks and ropes, etc. This way ANYTHING made by the elves is considered magical unless no time or effort was put into its creation. I'm tempted to make there be an Experience Point cost (as in later D&D versions), but this might be too far from the B/X D&D paradigm.

Most of the monsters in the D&D books would not be used, unless the DM decided to simply use Tolkien's Middle Earth as a backdrop and place whatever he desired to use. Some monsters would probably be known by different names, or have different abilities. For instance, trolls in Middle Earth turn to stone when struck by the light of day. Creatures from Greek Mythology would be unknown here, as would most lycanthropes (werebears excluded) unless the DM had a slightly altered version of these. Other creatures like the Giant Eagles, or the intelligent crows of Saruman, may need some other explanation. The creature in the lake by the entrance to Moria is unknown in D&D terms. So too the Balrog in Moria - which is a demon of fire in the books - and should probably be considered an "immortal" like the Wizards.

My Preliminary AD&D Dogma Rules

AD&D Dogma is a variant of play that uses no variants. It follows the books TO THE LETTER - inconsistencies and all! Dogma rules were applied in some other campaigns somewhere else - I simply adapted them for my own use and have never actually used them in play....yet! I want to use these rules for my next campaign! Original Dogma rules were for OD&D, but I have adapted them here for the rules-heavy AD&D version of the game.

[EDITED on 9/22/2015 to reflect re-reading of character creation rules in the DMG. Edits are in bold italics]

The following abbreviations apply to this document:

• PHB = Players Handbook
• DMG = Dungeon Masters Guide
• MM = Monster Manual
• DM = Dungeon Master 
• NPC = Non-Player Character
• XP = Experience Points

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dogma Rules

Each character will be rolled up using Method I in the DMG (4d6 drop the lowest, arrange to taste). A character MUST be used unless it cannot qualify for ANY class. All racial minimums must be met in order to be of the race selected, otherwise the character is human by default. All minimum stat restrictions must be followed as per the PHB Ability Score Tables. Character age categories will be applied up to the starting age of the character (cannot drop below minimums or increase above maximums). Hit points will be rolled using the appropriate Hit Die type – all rolls are final (even rolls of 1). Starting money will be rolled randomly for each character who is then responsible for equipping the character BEFORE the game begins. Only those items listed in the PHB are allowed to be purchased and no haggling or bargaining will be done with vendors at this stage of the game. Pets purchased will be the sole responsibility of the owner and will be considered to be trained ONLY if the character is willing to spend additional money (confer with the DM for cost). Do not worry about backstory or history or even why the characters are there....all that can be expanded upon once they achieve 3rd level. It is recommended that a quick, short nickname be used for the character until they reach 3rd level since the mortality rate is extremely high. Party balance is also not too much of an issue if the party consists of enough players. One player character per person; henchmen limited by Charisma. Only Player Characters are able to gain full XP.

Any and all powers and abilities of race and class are to be noted on the character sheet. All weapon proficiencies and languages are to be noted as well. Only those races and classes in the PHB are viable, using all supplemental information found in the MM for halflings (AC bonus vs. giants, +3 to hit with slings and bows). Multi-classing is permitted as per the rules provided in the PHB. All level limits will be strictly enforced as per the PHB rules.

Hirelings and henchmen can be hired on before play commences; the DM will inform characters of wages and require rolls be made before play begins, assuming the community is large enough to support such activities. NPCs can be added to the party as full members only if all players agree. All alignments of NPCs are strictly confidential (magic may be used to determine compatibility, but reactions may be modified accordingly as a result).

Characters will begin in the World of Greyhawk campaign setting and should select a patron deity from the list of Greyhawk Deities and Demigods (clerics are REQUIRED to do so). No substitutions permitted. Party member alignments should be similar or within a reasonably restricted portion of the alignment graph. Party members of diametric alignments should have a good reason to exist in the same party. Obviously, a party cannot be composed of a paladin and an assassin. Likewise, party members should not worship deities that actively oppose each other (Hieroneous & Hextor, St. Cuthbert & Iuz, etc.). All characters are assumed to be linked in some manner; interparty squabbling and in-character drama should be reserved for a normal campaign, not dogma. Survival requires cooperation!

Play will be conducted by the DM in an educational manner – all rulings will be explained per the rules as they occur. The party is expected to have one mapper, one caller, and one note-keeper; these responsibilities should be performed by different players. Responsibilities are listed below:

CALLER: shall make group decisions known to the DM but should NOT force his or her own agenda on the party; rolls initiative and surprise for the party; keeps track of the marching orders and makes changes as necessary; keeps track of weapons in hand and light sources for the party. This should be (but is not required to be) the character with the highest Charisma (de facto party leader).

MAPPER: shall keep track of the party’s progress through a dungeon/ wilderness using graph/hex paper going only by the DM’s description (note that the DM will NOT correct the map except for grossly inaccurate or obviously wrong interpretations). This should be a character with a high Wisdom.

NOTE-KEEPER: shall keep track of all party resources and treasures found, track encumbrance for mules, note movement rates for all party members/mounts/pack animals, and generally keep the information gathered by the party in the course of their adventure. Magical treasures located must be indicated as to who is using/holding said items, whether or not they have been identified, and any resulting effects of their usage. This should be a character with a high Intelligence.

Magic-users will have all spellbooks detailed before play begins. Each magic-user must list spells in the spellbook, other spells known due to intelligence, and spells that cannot be learned due to a failed roll. Each spell level uses a single tome; spellbooks are assumed to be left in a safe location while the party adventures; if the magic-user wants to take the book(s) with them, they must account for their safety, encumbrance, etc. All spells will function EXACTLY as listed in the PHB with supplemental notes provided in the DMG. Contradictory explanations will be ruled by the DM, with an eye towards consistency.

The DM will remain absolutely Neutral during the campaign. No benefits, boons, or fudging will be done for either side in a conflict. All rulings will be made fairly and with an eye towards “reality” within the ruleset provided in the DMG. Players may challenge a ruling only once; a ruling, once made, is final. The DM reserves the right to rule differently in different circumstances.

Players will have the choice of selecting one of 4 pre-made modules to begin play:

•    T1 The Village of Hommlet  (located in the southern portion of the Viscounty of Verbobonc)
•    N1 Against the Cult of the Reptile God (located in the southern portion of Sterich)
•    U1 The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (located on southern shores of Keoland)
•    DM78 Citadel by the Sea (located on the Wild Coast near the Pomarj)

Each module leads into a larger campaign which will be revealed as the module concludes. Experience points will be given out when the characters return to a safe location with their treasure and only after treasure has been divided and play assessed by the DM. Performance ratings will also be noted with XP totals and it should be known that superior play will receive the higher XP totals. If a player knows the module in question and uses the knowledge to their benefit, they will politely be asked to leave the session. If the player has played the module already and can act as if they have not, they may receive an experience bonus or upgrade in their XP performance rating as a reward.

Players who lose their characters in the course of play will be asked to roll up a new character given the same rules. All replacement characters must start at 1st level (see below). They will be introduced to the party as soon as possible, given whatever circumstances the party happens to find themselves in. Any party members killed lose all rights to their former possessions – the items become party property to be dispersed among the members as they see fit (does not count for XP). If the average party level is ever 3 or more levels higher than 1st level, then the new character will be increased in experience points until they are at the minimum XP to be one level below the average party level. Such characters will not have any magic items and enter play with double the standard starting money -- no exceptions. Deceased characters of 1st to 3rd level will NEVER be raised/resurrected/reincarnated.

It is assumed that play will continue until the characters withdraw from the dungeon. Each adventure is considered to consist of a single day of play. It may be several days before the party concludes the module. Therefore it is incumbent on the players to return to a safe place before the end of the session. This may or may not be applicable or possible in all situations, but should be followed as a general guideline for awarding experience points. Should a player be unable to attend a session, that player’s character will NOT be able to join the party. Should a player be unable to attend a session which continues from a previous session, that player should understand that the character will only receive XP as a henchman (1/2 normal share) and performance will be averaged with a Poor rating for any missed sessions in which their character is involved. Should any player miss more sessions than they have played in, their performance will be evaluated by the group. Those players who are unfortunately unable to make a regular commitment may be asked to leave the group until they can make the time to participate. If a player misses the previous session and is in attendance after the fact, the DM may allow the character to enter the dungeon by himself to “catch up” to the others, or allow them to play a henchman until the party returns to the safe location (and thus earning FULL XP for the henchman during this period). Performance ratings are averaged over the number of sessions played, regardless of how much experience was earned in each session. Performance ratings are used to calculate the number of weeks required to train for gaining levels.

Cheating will NOT be tolerated. Cheating is defined as purposely altering numbers, stats, lists, etc. for personal or party benefit, fudging dice rolls, and/or using the rules to gain an unfair advantage over others in the game. Abusive behavior will likewise NOT be tolerated. No player has the right to tell another player how to play their character. However, breaches in alignment and erratic behavior will be warned against before any action is taken by the DM. Helpful suggestions, even if innocently provided, can become irritating if constantly done. Temper tantrums will NOT be tolerated at the table. Deaths occur frequently in dogma rules and should not be taken as a failure by the player or maliciousness on the part of the DM. The dice will dictate most circumstances and random rolls are just that – RANDOM. Nothing in AD&D is guaranteed so long as the outcome is dependent on a random dice roll. Players who have a problem with this will be directed to find their fun elsewhere.

Dramatic role-playing is requested but not obligatory; some players have trouble getting into character. Regardless, all actions, once stated, will be considered to have begun. All statements should be made using a 1st-person voice. Stating “We should do this” is much different from “I do this.” The latter is the correct form to take during play unless the players are discussing among themselves their best course of action. The caller should always speak in “active voice” for both his own PC and all other characters. Do not get hung up on details – allow the game to progress naturally and fluidly. Taking too long to come to a course of action will cause an actual delay in the game, as the characters are assumed to be arguing among themselves just as the players are. Such delays will result in more random Wandering Monster checks, or may cause nearby monsters to investigate the cause of all the noise! Descriptions assume that the party has a light source – it also assumes that all the characters are viewing the same thing. If this is not the case, your character cannot act on knowledge they could not possibly have (i.e., a human reacting to what a demi-human is seeing with infravision, or a character in the back rank around the corner preparing to face off against a monster at the front rank, etc.).

The game is filled with hidden things (invisible items, traps, secret doors, subtle slopes, etc.). Some characters have better than normal detection abilities. However, it slows the game down if these abilities are used every turn. It also leads to prolonged adventure downtime, which leads to boredom. A dungeon need not be scoured for each and every copper piece, and some hidden things will likely be missed by the party. Do not feel that you have to search every 10’ square of the map to be successful. Experience is not based on these actions, but rather overcoming obstacles and gaining treasure. These should be the foremost goals of any adventuring party.

DICE ROLLS – All dice will be rolled openly and only when requested. Do not assume that a roll made prior to being asked will be accepted…. Any die that rolls off the table will not be counted. Any die that lands crookedly off a book or in a crack will have to be rolled again until a valid number is achieved. Hiding rolls will not be tolerated. All dice used should be clearly marked and easy to read across the table by anyone. If dice used by a player do not conform to this standard, they will be asked to use dice provided by the DM. All rolls are final, regardless of the outcome, unless a situation exists in which the number rolled is invalid. The DM has the right to invalidate any roll made at the table (within reason) and only if the situation merits.

AD&D - Party Setback in G2

We had a very tense session last weekend! The party is on level 2 of the Frost Giants module G2, having made their way through the ENTIRE Glacial Rift to end up in the caves beneath the mountain. They made their way cautiously around the open areas, exploring every dead-end chamber and tunnel. They were ambushed by the ice toads (who posed little or no problem) and located the "map of the Jarl's Caverns" in the hand of the dead frost giant by the collapsed tunnel. They even wanted to excavate the tunnel using transmute rock to mud spells (I discouraged this, saying that the rock above was too unstable) as their dwarf henchman could attest.

So they went to the boulder-blocked area off the main entry chamber (marked STOREROOM on the map). Moving the boulder aside (3 fighters with strength spells on them!), they entered the tunnel leading into the lair of the 2 white dragons. They came upon the male dragon as it was turning the corner to see who invaded its lair. The ranger thankfully was not surprised. At the urging of his wife, he readied the ring of spell storing (taking off his gloves to do so) and the others were oblivious but alerted to some danger ahead. Due to the shape of the entry tunnel, only the front line (ranger and dwarf fighter henchman) and the lantern-bearer hireling could see what was happening. The others were aware that there was danger (from the ranger's warning), but not what they faced.

The first round of combat went poorly. The dragon, spotting intruders, breathed at the entry tunnel. That spelled the end for the 3 hp hireling lantern-bearer who froze in place as a "corpse-icle." The others made their saving throws. The ones in the hallway behind were also affected by the frost since the bulk of the area of the cone would have splashed into the tunnel. I gave them bonuses to their saves based on distance from the corner (starting at +2, then +4, and +6 to those in the back ranks. The druid, just outside the tunnel, was too far away to be affected by the breath weapon.

Needless to say, I decimated the hit points of the party. Since everyone saved, they were all alive but very hurt, some in single digits. Then the ring of spell storing released the fireball which blossomed on the dragon. The dragon failed its saving throw by 1 and took full damage (+1 damage per die) which was 11d6+11 damage total!! The rolls were poor, unfortunately, and the dragon was left alive, but extremely pissed!

The next round the party decided to retreat, leaving the cleric, ranger, and dwarf fighter in the front to handle the dragon. The magic-user and thief backed out of the tunnel, followed by the halfling fighter. They all huddled behind the boulder while the druid cast a healing spell on the magic-user. The dragon moved into the entry way to attack those that burned him. It could not attack yet since it had to cross the distance first. The others took defensive postures while the cleric cast a pitiful cure serious wounds (5 hp!) on the ranger to bolster his health.

On the third round I rolled randomly to see what the dragon would do. He opted to breathe again (ugh). The cleric was casting a flame strike at the dragon. Initiative was rolled and the party lost (big time). The dragon breathed again, rearing up to strike those directly in front, so the splash back was less severe than before. The fighter and dwarf were instantly killed (dwarf saved but was only 7th level, and the ranger failed his save with a 3). The cleric, whose spell was disrupted, was barely hanging on with 6 hp left.... The others looked on in horror as their friends died (and party morale took a nose-dive).

The cleric attempted to withdraw from combat, but the dragon stretched out his neck and chomped down on the hapless cleric who fell to -3 hp. A blast of magic missiles on its head did the dragon in the following round but the damage had already been done. Two members of the party were dead, a 3rd was dying, and the hireling was thoroughly frozen. The party moved in to tend to the dead and dying when the magic-user spotted the SECOND dragon approaching!

The magic-user quickly set up a wall of force to completely block the entryway while the djinn was summoned forth to carry the dead. They immediately retreated and had the djinn move the boulder back into place. The party retreated back to the glacier to do some healing. Unfortunately it was late and we had to stop, but the mood was somber in the room.

Unfortunately, the party has to retreat back to the safe base cave off the glacier. The other dragon, after finding that it could not exit the cave the normal way, decided to give chase on the surface (a tunnel leads to the surface through the northwest ceiling). This is going to be ugly. The dragon's mate is pissed and will likely circle the glacier looking for the party to surface. If they are smart they will go invisible - if not, they will likely perish to the other dragon! Oddly enough, they took on 2 mated dragons in a similar situation on their way off the glacier the last time (random encounter roll). They took some damage from one breath weapon before resorting to the fireball tactic. Of course, the rolls were much better then....

The dwarf henchman has died 3 times before and lost a lot of Constitution as a result. The ranger will be losing hit points due to Con loss when he is raised. Both will have to wait a week before returning to the front lines - two very heavy-hitting fighters who will be sorely missed. It's likely that the party will have to retreat back to civilization, a long trip that they can ill afford to make, especially with an angry dragon flying about and who knows what else lurking in the snow-swept mountains. I sincerely hope that no one fails their resurrection survival percentages! That would seriously disrupt player morale!

Name Level Druid - Almost there....

I've been running my 1st edition AD&D game since January 2000. It has taken 15 loooooonnnngggg years to get the party druid to 11th level (just shy of 12th by about 750 xp). "What?", you say. "Why so long?", you ask. Well, we've been on and off a few times - medical emergencies, family matters, holidays, etc. We haven't had a good long run of consecutive games since the beginning of the campaign. Also , it's hard to give out Experience Points when the party insists on going to the furthest reaches of my campaign world to scour dungeons for treasure (which they rarely found). Add to this the number of level drains we had in the Desert of Desolation and you can see why it took so very long to get to this point.

Now, due to a Libram of Silver Magic, the magic-user is an 11th level Wizard and the druid is about to become a name level Druid of 12th level! This means that all the end-game stuff I've been putting off for so very long has to be designed NOW!! The ranger just made 9th level, which means he'll be seeing followers after he makes the next level. The cleric is also 9th and can get followers whenever she decides to settle down and build a church. I'm gonna be a busy DM for the next few months I can tell!

I've been agonizing over the druid hierarchy for a little over 2 weeks now. I'm not sure how to proceed since the player wants to keep playing in the group while enjoying all the perks and responsibilities of being a name-level character. I don't blame him - he's waited 15 years to play with the "big boys" and now that he has all this firepower, he can't wait to use it on something. The endgame material Gygax built into the game to basically force the characters to retire at or soon after name level is causing the druid grief. He wants to forego the followers (who he sees as nothing more than useless in a high-level dungeon setting) and doesn't want the Archdruids to boss him around. I see this as more of a role-playing opportunity to link him into the world and the grander scheme of things. But, of course, the anarchistic player wants his own rules and wants to do his own thing. And here I thought I had purged that "must win at all costs" mentality from him a while ago. Sigh.

The hierarchy seems to be divided into a local group and a world group. The local groups each have their own Great Druid and are separated by geographical regions. The world groups is headed by the Grand Druid who has his own Druids and Archdruids to attend his needs. The local groups seem more preoccupied with the defense of nature on the small scale and the tending to the flocks of worshipers. The world group seems more focused on defending the world from catastrophic changes and elemental disasters. I can work with the world group, since this is the route the adventures are taking. However, the Grand Druid selects his candidates from the ranks of the eligible Druids of the local groups, taking the best and brightest if you will. Now, I consider the player character's Druid to be one of these elite types who has been watched for a while. Ever since the Hierophants directed the PC druid to Haven to help out Princess Argenta (B3) I've been planning to make a big deal of how he's been groomed and watched to become a member of the worldwide druids. It seems to be what he's interested in as well. However, I see his initiation as a servant of the Grand Druid being blocked by the necessity that he has to first prove himself in combat. Should I allow him to bypass the local group first and go directly to the Grand Druid's entourage? Perhaps. But he will have to FIND the Grand Druid first. I don't suppose he should be easy to find or easy to get to. After all, he has an entire WORLD to watch over and may not even be humanoid!!! It would be interesting to have a treant as the Grand Druid. I'll have to look into this. Otherwise, I could see an elf or human occupying the spot - like a crusty old Radagast in the Hobbit movies. Perhaps the Grand Druid is a nomad - living off the land and carrying only those things he truly needs with him. He would be followed by his attendants, of course, and might show up in the darnedest of places! This could be a means of getting the characters out of the Karameikos/Selenica rut they've been stuck in for the past few years. Geez, there are so many other places to see in Mystara and they keep going back to the same two cities....

D&D: Nature of the Planes

I've often wondered about how a plane can be infinite and size and yet bounded such that it is coterminus with another plane. I prefer to think of a plane as just that - a surface. Wrap that surface on a sphere and voila, seemingly infinite in size but having defined beginning and end. Move one way long enough and you arrive back where you were. The same could be said for the inside of a sphere.

I've pondered how I would like to see a planar structure in B/X D&D and I believe I finally have a solution - BUBBLES!

Imagine a large bubble of some thickness - this is the Prime Material Plane. The bubble is so large that it seems infinite. The interior of this bubble is filled with Ether which separates the Prime plane from the other Inner Planes. The Ether also permeates the Prime Plane and all the Inner Planes. At the core of the Ether is a large bubble split into six chambers - like bubbles blown into a single bubble. The upper bubble is Positive Energy, the lower bubble is Negative Energy, and the middle ring comprises the Elemental Planes of Air, Water, Earth, and Fire. The Positive and Negative Energy planes have vortexes that erupt out from their central surfaces, piercing the Ether and Prime Material Planes and continuing beyond. Like a giant electromagnet, the Positive Energy plane spews forth energy into the multiverse and the Negative Energy plane sucks in the energy (again, think of the magnetic lines of force around a planet with the Energy planes functioning as poles of the magnet) They function as the Planar Axis (Axis Mundi?) and all rotates slowly around this axis.

Outside the Prime Plane Bubble is a vast expanse of nothingness filled with stars and a staggeringly large variety of planets and asteroids. This is the Astral Plane. Nothing can exist physically within the Astral Plane - there is no air to breathe, no gravity, no pressure, and nothing to draw sustenance from. From the Astral Plane, the Inner Planes can be seen through the Prime Material Membrane as a swirling galaxy of various colors with a brilliantly glowing top and dark, shadowy bottom.

The Astral Plane contains bits of matter left over from the creation of the Prime Material, or portions of the Prime Material Plane that have been lost to the void of the Astral Plane over the millennia. These form planets (more spherical "planes") of various sizes and qualities. Those that are vibrant spheres filled with positive energy and conducive to life are considered to be Planes of Law; those that are filled with negative energy or cannot support life are considered to be Planes of Chaos. Others might be Neutral Planes with a mix of both energies.

Planes in AD&D are said to be made up of layers. These layers could be planets in a single star system. So the Seven Heavens could be represented by seven planets, each with its own unique environments and perhaps all joined together by a network of gates. The Abyss in AD&D is said to be made up of 666 layers. This could be presented by an asteroid field, the remains of a planet of demons which they destroyed in a great war but still inhabited by them. The River Styx could be a wormhole vortex joining all the negative energy Outer Planes, and only Charon knows how to navigate it safely - all others who fall into the vortex are lost and may end up sucked back to the Negative Energy Plane.

Travel through the Astral Plane is done as a disembodied spirit or soul. Mental energy thus determines the speed of travel here. Most travelers only move through the Astral Plane to get to another destination on the Outer Planes. Some few decide to remain in the Astral Plane and explore the place. The Gith reside in the Astral as disembodied psychic images, and may decide to attack those who invade their realms. Many outer planar creatures can move through the Astral Plane as well, and may be encountered here in non-corporeal forms. A new body is created by the soul or spirit when they arrive on an outer plane out of the native materials. This body resembles the one the soul or spirit had on the Prime Material Plane, but may have some strange alterations based on the plane they travel to (like glowing eyes, mineralized flesh, or what have you). When the body is destroyed, the soul/spirit is sent back to its home plane where it may die from the shock (saving throw or Constitution check, not sure which should apply). A silver cord connects a traveler to its home plane so long as it is still alive. A dead traveler without a cord is lost unless it worshipped some Immortal in an outer plane. Such a traveler is then reeled in to the outer plane where that Immortal dwells. Thus, a living being has not only a silver cord but also a connection to whatever faith they follow in the Afterlife. Such souls/spirits are used by the Outer Planar Immortals in some way to empower them.

The Astral Plane is nearly infinite in size, but may be just another bubble. The Astral space is the void within the bubble between its furthest boundary and the Prime Material Plane, sparsely filled with Outer Planes. Each "multiverse" could thus be a system of these nested bubbles. Related planes are all connected by a network of gates. A Manual of the Planes could list all the gates, how they are activated, and where they lead - a most potent artifact if found! The Ether Cyclone and Psychic Wind defined in the AD&D rules could be places where the Ethereal plane touches the Astral Void via vortexes through the Prime Material Plane. Within the Prime these are invisible and have no effect, but they are openings through the bubble membrane that resemble violent tornadoes in reverse within the Ether and violent blowing nebulae in the Astral - in essence these are locations where Inner Plane materials are being fed into the Astral Void to help populate it with matter and energy. Obviously, these vortexes meander over the surface of the Prime Plane Bubble and their position might be detectable to those with the proper spells. Such an alignment of a vortex through a homeworld on the Prime could portend dire times for that world, but can only be seen by those with the proper sight (some magical detection, ability to see into the ethereal or astral planes, etc.).

When Outer Planar creatures are slain on the Prime Material Plane, they are returned to their home plane, more or less intact (but they may lose the ability to travel astrally for a while, thus trapping them on their home plane). Inner Planar creatures are essentially disembodied spirits that have no Outer Planar connections. They are immortal for all intents and purposes. They cannot freely enter the Prime Material Plane without a gate or magical summons. When they are destroyed on the Prime Material, they reform in their native Inner Plane. This explains why magic-users need such large volumes of pure elements to summon forth an elemental creature - they need it to form their bodies!

I'm sure there are some nuances that I'm forgetting, but that structure should be enough to provide challenges for planar adventures for some time to come. I need to determine the nature of Immortals and better define which creatures should be considered immortal. I see demons as evil spirits existing in the Outer Planes - they have no material forms of their own but instead form bodies from their environment when necessary. This explains their varied appearances since they can alter what form they take based on their power.

What exists beyond the Astral Plane? Perhaps a Dimension of Madness where the Old Ones dwell, constantly trying to invade the multiverse and infest it with their powers. Or perhaps demons are natives of that place and have begun an invasion into this reality. Every campaign has an ultimate evil that all the mortals and immortals should fear and be wary of....

Managing Mileage in D&D and AD&D

I'm a huge fan of game maps, especially those made to resemble actual terrain in the real world. But everyone has their own interpretations on how movement is carried out on outdoor maps and the scales used to represent these wilderness areas. In Greyhawk, the overland movement rate for a 12" base move is 30 mile per day and, conveniently enough, the scale on the map is 10 leagues (30 miles) per hex. Therefore, along normal flat terrain, a normal person with no great load can move 1 hex/day of travel. Movement rates in BECMI D&D are calculated at move rate divided by 5 in miles per day. This means a base 120' movement rate per turn translates to 24 miles/day. Lo and behold, the large scale map hexes are suggested to be 24 miles across! The Dungeon Master's Guide has about the same scale/movement as the Greyhawk rules on movement, but this is much more generalized (using hexes of between 20 and 40 miles in width for large scale movement).

Normally, this wouldn't bother me much. I would just use whatever scale is more advantageous in each system. But I've been looking over all the maps for my Thuin/Sturmgard conversion and realized that I used some weird scale based on what "looked best" on the hex map, without consideration for daily movement. This was more or less because all the movement rates I was using at the time were for overland movement through a forest in winter (very slow, especially on foot). All my maps are drawn with the large scale hexes at 16 miles/hex, and all the small hexes at 2 miles/hex. I was only mapping a portion of a continent so I only needed a reduced scale. However, neither of these numbers jive well with the movement rates for AD&D or D&D (and no wonder since the map was drawn in the period between 1st and 2nd edition AD&D).

So now I want to convert my original map into a more manageable scale to keep with the mapping conventions of BECMI D&D - Large scale hexes = 24 miles, small scale hexes = 8 miles. This will drastically alter the feel of the map but is well within reason. I was toying with the idea of using 1st edition for the larger map scale - after all, the campaign was originally written using 1st edition rules - but I find I enjoy the simpler versions of D&D more and more with age. I'm not terribly concerned with the scales and mileage, but I have to redraw the maps.... and that's a pain in the ass!

I find it interesting that neither system clearly defines the length of a "day of travel." I always assumed that it would be 8 hours, but that may not be true. Given the movement rate of a normal human being as 3 mph, and scaling that to a 12 hour period with 2 hour-long breaks total for the day, and you get the 30 miles/day movement rate of 1st edition. The same could be said for D&D but using a roughly 2½ mph movement rate. Either way, it seems that roughly 10 hours equates to the total movement time allotted for a "day." Forced marches would increase this number as usual.

Terrain such as mountains, hills, forest, swamp, and jungle slow movement, sometimes drastically. It all depends on the rules being used; Greyhawk, DMG, or BECMI. Again, the method of map drawing really means a lot here. Some forests are flat expanses of trees, well-spaced to allow movement through at little reduction of speed. Other forests are twisted tangles of thick vegetation with lots of exposed roots, and muddy paths lined with thorn bushes or ferns. Some are thick jungles that have to be hacked through in order to move. I knew that I wanted the Sturmgard to be mountainous forest with lots of elevation changes but blanketed with old-growth trees of varying types - pines, spruce, fir, oak, birch, sycamore, beech, etc. - similar to Carpathia or southern Germany. Obviously, the line between deciduous and coniferous woodlands happens in the boundaries of my map, very close to the base town in fact. Also the higher elevations have more conifers naturally. The heart of the forest is deciduous, with some willows and cedars in the moisture rich river valleys. My concern is that a large scale map will be unable to show all the small lakes, streams, elevation changes, and other interesting aspects that could occur in an 8-mile hex.

My current map (at 2-mile hexes scale) has quite a number of interesting areas that all occur in about the same 24 mile hex, and at least 2-3 major features that would all fit within an 8 mile hex. Perhaps I can make a third scale map that represents a scale of 1 mile hexes for fine detail of specific regions. After gaming in the same world for about 10 years, we added a lot of details to the map simply by adventuring, something that is lost on the large scale maps. Well, I needed to update the world in any case, so I guess now would be the time to do that! Now I also need to come up with a scale to map communities - and I'm favoring the "Hommlet" style of planning communities.

Monster Poisons in AD&D

I've been looking over some of the creatures in module T1 recently and noticed something unusual. Within the module are two creatures with poison - dangerous to most characters, but usually fatal to 1st level characters. There seems to be no rules written on MONSTER poison. All the rules in the game have to do with poisons used by player characters. However, poisons do many things in the real world, and death occurs by a number of ways.

SPIDERS inject poison by biting with their fangs. All spider poison (that I have read about) is neurotoxin. That being said, spider bites should paralyze, with death only occurring by paralysis of the respiratory and heart functions. Once immobilized, a spider will typically wrap their dinner in silk using digestive enzymes to break down the interior of the creature over time. Once tenderized, the spider returns to suck out all the juices, leaving a dry husk wrapped in spider silk.

SCORPIONS also use neurotoxins of various toxicity. These are usually fast-acting and extremely painful. The sting of a scorpion is therefore more in line with the usual "save or die" philosophy of AD&D.

SNAKES are of various types. Vipers have hinged fangs and inject their poison like a hypodermic needle. They have tissue-destroying venom that eventually kills due to bacterial infection. There are also short-fanged snakes whose venom is paralytic, killing by respiratory failure. Others have rear fangs in the back of their mouths. These snakes have venom that causes a slow death due to bleeding out. Only the short-fanged snakes are fast acting, the others take hours to days to kill. Of course, this does not take into consideration increased size with relation to humans.

The problem I have is the way the spells slow poison and neutralize poison work in regards to these various poisons. Death is death, regardless of how it happens, but in a game system with spells that can alleviate certain conditions leading to death, the path to death matters.

Per the AD&D rules, the huge spider in the tower of the moathouse grants a saving throw of +1 vs. poison. Those that fail are considered dead. No hp of damage (other than the bite) were caused. Most players HATE this game mechanic since it bypasses all their defenses, requiring only a successful attack to one-shot them into oblivion. First-level characters have poor saves against poison (except clerics), generally in the range of 13-14. Only dwarves and halflings have sufficient resistance to poison at these levels to possibly survive. A round in AD&D is 1 minute long. If a spider bites and the save fails, your character dies. There is nothing that the other characters can do to stop or slow this from happening. Once dead, the character is gone. HOWEVER, slow poison is stated as being able to bring a character back if they died to poison, if only for a little while. It has to be cast within a certain number of turns, however, and will not save these characters since they are some distance from Hommlet (about a league or two away). Therefore, the bite will kill anyone who fails the save. What then? The lone spider then faces the angry party who are likely to kill it quick. Should the spider continue to attack or grab it's dinner and flee like most normal spiders would do? I vote for the latter. It would return to its ledge above in the tower with the fallen PC, wrap it in silk, and then digest it with enzymes for later dining. Once above, the spider has cover from ranged attacks so the players are not likely to kill it, and the thing moves very fast, so it can return to its ledge possibly before the character is even missed (if they went into the tower alone).

The giant snake in the moathouse proper does bite damage of 1-3 plus poison. The poison does an additional 2-8 points of damage (!) if the save fails, or 1-3 damage if the save succeeds. This is NOT save or die poison, but it is damage poison. So how would slow poison affect this? Is it doing that damage every ROUND, or is it done after the injection? If the person is bit again, do they suffer more damage from the poison? None of these questions are addressed.

As an aside, a viper bite has the following effects in the real world:

1. the initial injection causes immediate burning pain, limb swelling, and discoloration.
2. 1-3 hours later the person is sick to their stomach, pulse slows, fever sets in, and person may pass into a coma
3. 12-24 hours later these symptoms pass but swelling and discoloration spread along with pus and tissue death, allowing bacterial infection to set in.
4. death may occur after a few days, but no matter what, tissue has died and the affected limb will never be right again, or horribly scarred.

Now THIS type of poison is what slow poison spells were made for. The pain response and swelling could be seen as the damage caused above by the Giant Snake. However, some other component should be part of this, perhaps a System Shock to avoid slipping into a coma after 1-3 hours, and perhaps another saving throw after 12-24 hours to avoid infection (which is the real killer). So making the save avoids all this unpleasantness, but failing causes the sickness, System Shock and additional saving throw later on if not treated appropriately. Either way, I can see a permanent loss of Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution from this kind of poison. Seems to be the route they went with 3rd edition though.... Do you think a cure disease spell is required to combat the infection after the poison has run its course?

I'm just a little annoyed that poison is treated differently in different modules, and sometimes by the same writer. Save bonuses seemed to be an afterthought in the DMG, since most creatures in the Monster Manual didn't list any (spiders are among the few I can remember, but that seemed to be size related, when in fact, the smaller creature usually has the more potent venom). It would have been nice to have an actual section written in the rules somewhere about how to treat poisons other than "save or die."

AD&D: Risk vs. Reward

I ran a little experiment last night using the rules on granting Experience Points (XP) in the Dungeon Master's Guide and dungeon module T1: The Village of Hommlet. If you have NEVER played this module before, please stop reading now....









...and now that those 3 people have left, let's continue.

Assumptions: A party of 6 player characters enters the village looking for adventure, consisting of 3 fighters, a cleric, a magic-user, and a thief. They take on Elmo (4th level ranger) immediately and settle on Spugnoir (2nd level magic-user) for additional magic, each for a full share of XP and treasure since they aren't henchmen. All player characters are 1st level when they arrive at the moathouse, low on funds and equipped poorly (as suggested in the module).

The PCs approach the moathouse and engage the giant frogs who leap from the water, gaining surprise. They defeat the monsters but lose one of the fighters in combat (using death at 0 hp). Using the threat comparison in the DMG, there are a total of 4 frogs with 1 HD and 2 frogs with 2 HD. Each has two special abilities (leaping and tongue attack) which bumps them up an additional 2 HD each. For purposes of HD/Levels comparison, they have a total of 16 total levels. The party has a total of 12 levels (6 1st level PCs, Elmo level 4, Spugnoir Level 2). The ratio is 16/12 so the party receives full XP for both monsters and treasure (which they did not find).

The next encounter is with the huge spider in the tower. This is a deadly encounter since the spider can surprise 5 in 6 (or 4 in 6 with the ranger present). The spider also has poison. This means it's HD are boosted by 3 (2+2 HD, + 2 special abilities) to 5 HD. The ratio is 5/11 which is close enough to 1/2 for my purposes. So the party will receive only half the normal XP for the spider and its treasure (in plain sight) which totals to 50 gp, 38 sp, and 71 cp. Assume that they lost another character to poison before the spider could be killed.

The next encounter is with the brigands hiding in the master's chamber. These brigands will undoubtedly gain surprise on the party and have missile weapons at the ready. Whoever opens that door and enters is pretty much dead. There are 8 normal men and one 2nd level fighter. The normal men will count as 1 HD + 1 HD for missile fire capability, the fighter counts as a 2 HD creature + 1 HD for higher than normal (d10) hit points. This totals to 19 total HD for the encounter. The ratio is 19/10 so full XP is granted for the monsters and treasure. During the fighting another 2 characters lose their lives (one of which is Spugnoir).

At this point the party has to retreat from the moathouse since they are likely out of spells and expendables and low on hit points.

This run is very typical of how parties play through this module. It is brutal and the encounters, although they seem balanced, are not really worth the risk. The deadly individual monsters net much fewer XP than the large mobs of smaller creatures due to HD calculations by-the-book (BtB). Even if one ignores the rules as written (RAW) and goes with full XP awards for each encounter, the total XP is not enough to get a large party to 2nd level before they descend into the dungeon. The monsters there are more challenging and far greater in number. A party with "legally" rolled hp cannot survive the final encounter unless they bolster their numbers with henchmen. Such a move further decreases the amount of XP available to the party. Hiring on Elmo may be counterproductive for a party since they are more likely to gain MORE XP without him, but less likely to survive to gain the experience. This leaves one or two survivors to reap the rewards.

If , however, the XP threat level is based off AVERAGE HD/Levels, then that is different. In the above example, the party average starts at 1.5 Levels. The HD average for the frogs is 2.66, for the spider is 5, and for the brigands is 2.11, all of which are greater than the party average. Therefore all the characters would receive full XP. I will have to re-read the section because I know somewhere the word "AVERAGE" was bandied about....


Still, it would take an average sized party of about 8 members (including henchmen) days of adventuring to get through T1, with lots of rest periods in between. There would also be several casualties since the damage potential of most of the monsters is abnormally high! The ogre in the dungeon level alone could spell doom for the party, and they pretty much have to go through him to get to the rest of the dungeon unless they find the unlikely-located pillar secret door in the tomb, and all this after fighting off a dozen nasty zombies with super-powers. It seems that Elmo is necessary to babysit the fledgling characters throughout the entire moathouse. His 41 hp pool is crucial to surviving against the nastier encounters in the dungeon, but I know that I would gripe about allowing such a potent fighter into the party - seems more deus ex machina than usual D&D, even for Gygax. After the first two times of Elmo swooping in to handle the big bad evil monster, the characters would get lazy and let him handle everything, practically putting a big "S" on his cloak.

Translating High Gygaxian: Unarmed Combat (part 2 - Grappling)

In the previous post we worked through a single round of combat where a ranger (Falim) was striking (Pummeling) a bugbear. The second component of Unarmed Combat is grappling. In this example we will be using a generic human fighter by the name of Baran who is a 3rd level fighter wearing chain mail armor, carrying a shield, and wielding a hand axe (all non-magical). This fighter has a 16 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 14 Constitution, and 15 hit points. His Armor Class is 4. His adversary is a hobgoblin lieutenant (AC 5, MV 9", HD 1+1, hp 9, AT 1, D 1-8 or by morning star, SZ M). During the battle, the hobgoblin was disarmed somehow, losing his weapon and shield. Unarmed, and now AC 6 (scale mail), the hobgoblin has opted to grapple his opponent, the fighter Baran.

Grapple: This attack form is aimed at holding the opponent and rendering him or her helpless. Damage sustained is 25% actual and 75% incidental which is restored at 1 hit point per round. As in pummeling attacks, a score of 0 equals unconsciousness, 1 round plus 1 round for each point of minus damage sustained.

 So far, this is looking just like pummeling, so let's continue...

Determination of First Attack Initiative: Surprise, charging to attack, higher dexterity, higher die roll -- in that order.

Again this is exactly the same as pummeling, so the DM doesn't have to worry about any different rules here. Since the combat was already in progress, we don't have to worry about surprise, and the two combatants were already in melee range so charging is not an option. The DM decides to see what the hobgoblin's Dexterity is by rolling 3d6 -- result = 8, so Baran has the higher Dexterity score and will go first. However, Baran is still ARMED with his hand axe, so according to the general notes at the end of the section (see last post) Baran gets a fending strike first and if successful can then attack normally BEFORE the grapple attempt.

So let's see if the hobgoblin even gets to grapple this round. Baran rolls to hit with his hand axe vs. AC type 6 (remember, the hobgob lost his shield and thus should be 1 AC worse). He has no adjustments for Weapon vs. Armor Class and rolls a 12 which is just enough to hit the hobgoblin. He scores NO damage, but has successfully fended off the grapple this round and can now attack again. Baran rolls a 6 and misses. So that round is done.

On the second round, Baran strikes first again since he is still armed. His fending strike scores a 9 which is not enough. The hobgoblin sees his chance and lunges! At his point the attacker (hobgoblin) has to determine his attack bonus, and Baran has to determine his defender bonus. The hobgoblin attacks on the 4th column on the monster chart, so his base grapple bonus is +4. To this he adds a d6 roll (5), so his attack bonus is +9 which he will add to his base chance to hit. Baran attacks on the 3rd column of the fighter chart, so his base grapple bonus is +3 to which he adds a d4 roll (1), so his defense bonus is +4, which he will use to avoid being grappled by reducing his opponent's base chance to hit. (See previous explanation in part 1 for attack and defense bonuses.) So on this round, the hobgoblin's base chance to hit is the only thing modified, and this will be (9-4 =) +5 to base chance of grappling.

Base Score to Grapple: Multiply attacker's armor class by 10, ignoring magical devices (bracers, cloaks, rings, etc.), but adding 1 for each +1 of magical armor, to find a percentage change from 100% to 0%. Note: The attacker cannot grapple if either or both hands are holding anything. The base chance to grapple is modified as follows:

Attacker's dexterity, per point....+1%
Defender's armor protection is --
   leather or padded.... +10%
   chain, ring, scale.... +20%
   banded, plate, splint.... +30%
Opponent slowed or stunned....+20%
Opponent base movement 3" faster.... -10% per 3"
Opponent hasted (includes speed potion).... -20%

Hmm, now things are getting complicated. The hobgoblin's AC = 6 currently, so his base chance is 60%. He is not carrying any magical items and both his hands are free since he discarded both his shield and morning star. The hobgoblin's Dex was already determined to be an 8, so he adds +8%, Baran is wearing chain mail so that's another +20%, and they both have the same movement rate, so no adjustment there. The base chance is modified by attack and defense bonuses to be +5% (see above). The total base chance for the hobgoblin to hit is (60 + 8 + 20 +5 = ) 93%!

In each round of grappling combat there will be an attack and a counter. Any existing hold automatically goes first until broken. Once it is determined that a grappling attack succeeds, the percentile dice must be rolled again to find what hold is gained. The dice roll is modified as follows:

Attacker's dexterity, per point.... +1%
Attacker's strength --
   per point.... +1%
   per 10% over 18.... +1%
Opponent slowed.... +10%
Opponent stunned.... +20%
Opponent helpless.... +30%
Per 10% weight difference (attacker).... +/-5%
Per 10% height difference* (attacker).... +/-5%
Opponent dexterity, per point over 14.... -2%
Opponent strength --
   per point over 12.... -1%
   per 10% over 18.... -1%
Opponent wearing banded or plate mail.... -10%
Opponent wearing gorget and helmet.... -10%
Opponent using shield.... -10%

* Halved if prone.

Bonuses and penalties are totalled and the result added to the result of the percentile dice roll. The GRAPPLING TABLE is then consulted for the result.

And this is where this system begins to bog down! OK, let's get our math caps on. Let's see first if our hobgoblin hit his base chance. A roll of 18 on percentile dice indicates that he succeeds! Now we have to determine modifiers so we can see what kind of hold was achieved. The hobgoblin's dexterity is 8, so +8%. His strength is not determined -- average strength of a hobgoblin per DMG p.15 is 15, so he gets an additional +15%. The fighter Baran is not slowed, stunned or helpless. The hobgoblin is an average specimen standing 6½' tall, whereas Baran was determined to be only 6' tall. Assuming that the hobgoblin weighs more by at least 10%, he will get +5% for weight, and since he is taller, but not by 7 inches or more, there is no adjustment for height. Baran's Dexterity of 10 doesn't help here, but his 16 strength will cause a -4%. He wears a basinet helm and has a shield so that is another -20% total. (By the way, a gorget is a piece of armor designed to protect the throat and neck.) So the total percentage modifier is (8 + 15 + 5 - 4 - 20 = ) +4%. Since none of the combatants opted to affect the damage roll with their variable bonuses, this stands at +4%. Percentile dice are rolled and modified, resulting in a total of (54 + 4 =) 58%.

GRAPPLING TABLE

Adj. Dice Score	Result	hp of Dmg Scored
Under 21	Waist clinch, opponent may counter	None
21-40	Arm lock// forearm/elbow smash	1 + Str bonus
41-55	Hand/finger lock// bite	2 + Str bonus
56-70	Bear hug/trip	3 + Str bonus
71-85	Headlock// flip or throw	5 + Str bonus
86-95	Strangle hold// head butt	6 + Str bonus
Over 95	Kick/knee/gouge	8 + Str bonus, opponent stunned

Any hold shown remains in effect from round to round unless the opponent scores a higher percentage hold, i.e. arm lock breaks a waist clinch, a hand/finger lock breaks an arm lock, and so forth. Damage accrues until a hold is broken or until the holder elects to try for a different hold. The opponent may still inflict damage by lesser hold results shown after the double slashes (//). These might result in both opponents falling to the ground and continuing their grapple there. Note: If the opponent is stunned, a second attack may immediately be made, and the stunned opponent cannot counter for 1 round.

According to the table above, the hobgoblin scored a "bear hug" and caused 3 points of damage (since he has no strength bonus to damage). He will be able to maintain that hold until next round since Baran tried to fend off first, and missed. At the beginning of the next round they are considered grappled, and the hobgoblin goes first, maintaining the bear hug and causing 3 more points of damage.

Baran now tries to counter, but must use grappling to free himself since his weapon is fairly useless while in a bear hug. He must score a 71% or higher in order to break the bear hug. Otherwise he causes the lesser result after the double slashes and the resulting damage. Baran's base chance to hit is 70%. This round his attack bonus is +8% and the hobgoblin has a +8% defense bonus. Since damage is such an important factor here both decide to modify the damage result, resulting in a 0% modifier. The roll to hit succeeds with a roll of 57%. The damage roll is modified as follows: Dex +10%, Str +16%, weight -5%, opponent Str -3%, opponent helmed -10% = +8% . Baran rolls a total of (28 + 8 =) 36%. His result is a forearm/elbow smash, he causes 2 points to the hobgoblin (1+1 from strength), but is still caught in the hold.

There is no information given stating what happens to the armed opponent once grappled. Can they use weapons? What about their shield? In this case, the bear hug pretty much means that the arms are pinned against the body, possibly from the hobgoblin slipping in behind the fighter and clinching around the chest and shoulders. Should Baran be able to chop at his legs? I would say maybe, but he is considered partially bound and should suffer -4 to hit, probably lose any Strength bonuses to hit AND damage since he can't properly swing his weapon, and perhaps even suffer a penalty to damage if the weapon is large and must be swung for effect (such as swords, axes, etc.). Long weapons like spears and pole arms would be useless when grappled, but a dagger could be used to great effect by stabbing at the foe with short strikes. Obviously, this is more incentive to always carry a dagger! Either way, if the hold is NOT broken (by either the attacker or the defender), the hold will be maintained and automatic damage done each round before a counter can be made. This could be dangerous to Baran since he only has 15 hit points and has already lost 6 before he is allowed to counter the hold. He would only have 3 more rounds to succeed at countering before passing out! A DM may decide that Baran has to drop his weapon and his shield in order to counter the hold or continue to take damage and strike ineffectively with his axe.

Should incidental damage by recovered DURING the grapple? This is not clear. If so, then Baran would be taking 1 actual damage for every 4 points scored, and recovering 1 point of incidental damage each round. This could really draw out fights between experienced/high HD combatants! My gut feeling tells me that this should NOT be the case, and that hit points should only be recovered once the fighting has ended, but I may be wrong! The latter way will allow a person to recover up to 10 hit points each turn of rest, with 25% of the damage remaining until it can be healed either naturally or by magical means. This seems more in line with the way the system works, so I would go with this interpretation. Otherwise, the tactic of "wearing down" one's foe by constantly attacking means nothing!

This ends the example of grappling. Look for the last article on Overbearing, coming soon!