Translating High Gygaxian: Unarmed Combat (part 3 - Overbearing)

Sorry this took so long to complete - I get sidetracked easily! This will be the third and final article on unarmed combat from the AD&D DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE. Although I claim to be no expert, I feel that I've used this enough times to give some insight to those struggling to understand the rules. These unarmed combat rules are very specific and it's easy to misinterpret or forget some bits of the rules while in the heat of combat, especially if the combat involves multiple combatants all attempting to perform some unarmed combat maneuvers.

In this example we will be using a lackluster 3rd level human magic-user named Abraxus, his three human henchmen (all 1st level fighters) and a band of 5 marauding orcs. The combat has already begun and the magic-user is out of spells. His charm person spell failed to work on an orc, but his magic missile spell managed to slay another orc. That leaves four orcs. While his henchmen are busy fighting for their lives against three of these orcs, one of the humanoids has slipped past the henchmen and is looking to overbear the magic-user to keep him from casting any more spells. Abraxus wears only robes, but his 15 Dex grants him a -1 AC bonus (for an AC of 9). He is currently unarmed, although he carries a dagger at his side. Abraxus has a total of 10 hp, is rather short at 5'7", and weighs a mere 150 lbs. His Strength is pathetic (8) but he has a decent Constitution (13). The orc opponent is AC 6 (assume studded leather and shield), wields a hand axe, and moves at 9". He has 1 HD and 6 hp. For the sake of argument lets make him a completely average orc specimen - he stands 6' tall, has a strength of 12 (from the DMG, p.15), and probably weighs about 200 lbs. The orc cannot charge (he charged earlier in the combat) and is within 10' at the beginning of the round.

Overbear: This attack form aims at quickly taking the opponent to a prone position, incidentally inflicting damage, and allowing either a pummel or grappling follow-up attack. The attacker can have either or both hands otherwise employed - carrying a shield, weapon, etc. 50% of damage inflicted is actual, the balance is restored at the rate of 1 point per round. Once an opponent is overborne, some other form of combat MUST take place.

 So far this seems to be pretty easy to follow. Unlike grappling, the attacker CAN have something in hand, in this case the orc is armed with hand axe and shield. I see this attack as the orc coming up and pummeling the magic-user off his feet with a shield rush. Let's see how to do this...

Determination of First Attack Initiative: Surprise, charging to attack, higher dexterity, higher die roll -- in that order. Attacker attempting to overbear need not go first to so attack.

 OK. So I guess surprise is out of the question - Abraxus knows the orc is upon him. And charging is not applicable in this situation either. However, Abraxus has a higher Dex (a roll on 3d6 for the orc results in 13) so he will win the initiative on the first attack. Abraxus whips out his dagger and stabs at the orc approaching him. He rolls a 9 and misses. Now the orc goes...

Base Score to Hit: Same as grappling attack. If overbearing attacks succeeds, roll percentile dice again and modify the resulting total by the following:

Attacker's Strength --
   per point... +1%
   per 10% over 18... +2%
Opponents slowed or 1 foot held... +10%
Rushing or leaping to attack... +15%
Opponent stunned or both feet held... +20%
Per 10% weight difference... +/-10%
Per 10% height difference... +/-5%

Opponent's Strength --
   per point over 14... -1%
   per 10% over 18... -2%
Opponent's dexterity, per point over 14 (halved if prone)... -2%
Opponent braced... -10%

 Looking back at the grappling rules, we have to first determine attack and defense bonuses. The orc rolls on column 3 of the monster attack table and rolls 5 on the d6, so his attack bonus is 8%. Abraxus attacks on column 1 of the M-U attack charts and rolls a 2 on the d4, so his defense bonus is 3%. The orc wants to succeed so he adds to his attack roll; Abraxus wants to keep his feet, so he subtracts from the orcs damage roll. The orc has an AC 6, so base grapple attack is at 60%. The orc's strength grants +12% and he weighs 33% more than Abraxus, so grant him +30%. Abraxus is weak, but dextrous, netting -2% from his 15 Dex. This means the orc's chance to hit is (60+12+30+8-2=) 108%. He is guaranteed to hit and slams the poor magic-user! Now comes the roll on the damage table:

OVERBEARING TABLE

Adj. Dice Score	Result	hp of Dmg Scored
Under 21	Bounce off or avoided, opponent may counter	None
21-40	Slip down and grab leg	None
41-60	Opponent staggered, attack again	1 + Str bonus
61-80	Opponent knocked to knees	2 + Str bonus
81-00	Opponent knocked to hands and knees	3 + Str bonus
Over 00	Opponent knocked flat, stunned for one round	4 + Str bonus

 Someday I'll get the hang of importing tables.... but apparently not today. Anyway, the orc rolls percentile for damage and manages to roll 09. Modify this down by 3 (remember to apply Abraxus' defense bonus) and the result becomes 6%. Per the above chart no damage is caused, the attack fails to knock the magic-user off his feet, and Abraxus may now counter! He gets a free strike with his dagger, rolling an 8 and missing again.

The next round, the orc attempts to try the same maneuver. Abraxus, in desperation, tries to stab the orc before he is knocked flat. The same conditions are still in place. Abraxus wins the initiative roll so he attacks first - rolling a 19! He adjusts the roll for dagger vs. AC 6 (+0) and still manages to connect. He causes 4 points of damage, grievously wounding the orc. The orc strikes again with his shield to knock the magic-user down. His attack bonus is +9 and Abraxus has only a +5 for defense bonus. Both apply the roll to damage since the unmodified chance to hit is still 100%. Therefore, the orc rolls for damage at +4%. His roll is 17 + 4 = 21. He just manages to "slip down and grab a leg" - a strange result for a shield rush. The DM decides that the attack is avoided without a counter, and no damage is caused. The orc is becoming frustrated.

The third round, the orc seeks to topple the magic-user once more. Abraxus gets to strike first since he won initiative again - and rolls a 15, which is just enough to hit the orc. He causes 2 points with his dagger and the orc drops at his feet.

Multiple Opponent Attacks: It is possible for as many opponents as will physically be able to attack a single adversary to engage in pummeling, grappling, or overbearing attack modes. Attack order must first be determined. Attack from behind negates the shield and dexterity components of the defending creature. Hits are determined, then results, in order of attack.

 Overbearing is much easier to do when multiple opponents attempt it at the same time. There is an example in the back of the PLAYERS HANDBOOK (p. 105) in which a group of 20 orcs overwhelms a party of 4 adventurers using overbearing rules. It is also useful when using pack animals such as wolves and rats who seek to knock over opponents so that the pack can rip them to pieces. Anytime a character or monster tries to knock over and/or burst through a line of defenders, use the overbearing rules. Once the target has been knocked down, you have to change tactics, but remember that a prone opponent is easier to hit (+4 to hit, per the DMG). It is also important to note that unarmed combat of any kind is less effective against monks, who are able to utilize open hand strikes as normal until stunned or unconscious.

I hope these examples have been helpful to those looking for more explanations regarding the AD&D rules. It has taken me nearly 30 years to come to a level of understanding in which I feel comfortable instructing others. If the rules had been organized just a bit better, perhaps all the confusion could have been avoided. But since the rulebooks were authored at the dawn of the computer age, I still marvel at how well they were written given the technology and how dense the rules are. After 30 years of reading I'm STILL finding things in the DMG that I never knew.