AD&D Unarmed Combat
You: Hey Anthony, you run by the book right?
Me: I mean. I try my best, yes.
You: What about non-lethal and weaponless combat?
Me: Page 72 and 73 should be burned.
You: Wow! Anthony Huso isn't as hardcore as I thought!
Yes, well, perhaps my design sensibilities preclude blind adherence. I have made a (small) name for myself by extolling the virtues of AD&D's MANY seemingly idiosyncratic rules. But that doesn't mean I should be a fanatic Gygax rolled on DMG p16. When subtle but real interplay of rules allow for magical things to happen, I point it out. I must also be willing to point out where the best of intentions turned pear-shaped. Allow me to explain to you the very worst way to use dice in a game.
Step One: Use dice to generate a secret pool of points that each side will (later) use to modify other rolls and do this EVERY round, requiring participants to keep (in RAM) a constantly changing number of spendable points while tabulating other math.
Step Two: Select from one of three subroutines, each with longish lists of modifiers that must be looked up and added together prior to rolling. Add attacks and counter attacks with priority rules that require you to remember all previous rolls (so that you can determine if future rolls are better and therefore "break" those weaker rolls). Use idiosyncratic rules for initiative that don't precisely follow established rules for the main system.
Step Three: Pour bourbon.
Step Four: After looking up all possible modifiers and doing math, make your roll. Note there is a chance your roll will have NO EFFECT and in this case you should ROLL AGAIN>>>. (One might have uh...simply left that possibility off the table as a short cut?)
Step Five: Add several pellets of rat poison to the bourbon.
Step Six: Try to ascertain if your secret pool of points can still be used to influence the other participant's die rolls after your character is stunned.
Step Seven: realize you forgot to use the d% system for your to-hit rolls and that those too have a unique set of modifiers.
Step Eight: Look at the clock. You've spent 10 minutes looking up modifiers, doing math and consulting charts in order to (as it says on page 73) "quickly take the opponent to a prone position".
Step Nine: Down the hatch.
The only place this design gains appreciation is in the court of Baalzebul where he's constantly telling you that you're doing it wrong and pointing to a modifier you missed while Baftis is laughing in the corner, drunk on human blood.
Gygax was a certified genius. That doesn't mean he (or whoever came up with this gross sadism of a system) doesn't have a bad day.
I saw that Allan Grohe knew of a person who was so fluent with the system they managed to bring it to the table (like Baalzebul) and "help" other players through the various hoops and mechanisms. Hats off. Like in all seriousness. I salute you.
But no.
Running tallies, constant modifiers, subroutines and so forth are the worst use of time I can imagine at the table. I occasionally use Psionics. But here, I draw the line.
Have I TRIED to use this system?
YES I HAVE. Unlike most other stuff in the DMG, this did not provide the hidden joys I was looking for.
Me: Hey I rolled a 10, Chris, can you check that on the chart?
Chris: It says ineffective blow, strike again.
Me: Are you serious?
Chris (laughing): That's what it says.
Me: Ok, next roll is a 5.
Chris: Laughs
So, how do I account for unarmed combat? Apart from Monks, I generally don't. Tavern brawls are for zero-level humans where a fist can literally knock you out. In all other cases I use a version of subdual damage from the Monster Manual and yes, it applies to Player Characters as well.
Subdual damage is straight forward and requires memorization of only two rules (if you do it my way)
Rule One: You are subdued at zero hp
Rule Two: Only 25% of the damage you took was real.
What about grappling, Anthony?
I use a streamlined version of Unearthed Arcana (which is a book that got some things right).
Declare your attempt to grapple and attack at -2 to hit. If you hit, the opponent is grappled.
Grappled targets can do NOTHING for the remainder of the round.
Grappled targets must hit their holder at a penalty of -2 to break free. Breaking free uses an attack and deals no damage.
For each grappler the held target may be attacked at +2 to-hit.
Targets larger than you cannot be grappled.
What about disarming, Anthony?
There is no disarming in general. Disarming might happen due to Fear or the powers of a magical weapon or the special ability of a monster like a Flind. But in general, disarming is no fun and often starts to feel like a scene from Monty Python rather than a heroic battle.
So, for my purposes, I feel that grappling and subdual fill nearly all needs pertaining to non-lethal combat except with regards to Maneuvering.
When you play with miniatures, you quickly realize some things:
What if I want to try and knock this orc off the ledge that we are standing by?
What if my character is backed into a corner and surrounded by enemies on all sides? Can I escape?
For these situations I use two house rules.
Maneuvering is for kicking an orc off a ledge. Passing through is for getting out the corner you've been backed into.
While the wording of these may prove initially tricky to wrap your head around, I suspect you will quickly understand WHY there are subtle differences between the two procedures.
With these rules I allow PCs and NPCs alike to reposition themselves, while still remaining in base-to-base contact. Note that the segments spent on these actions cannot also be used to attack and are essentially lost regardless of outcome. Attacks CAN happen before or after these maneuvers.
In the case of exceptional STR, I don't distinguish the nuances of 18. An 18 is an 18. Why? Because this system is about providing a chance to do something cool or to get out of an otherwise hopeless situation. It's not about making those situations even HARDER. This is basic game design 101. Don't overthink. Asses the % odds of success you want. Then Provide that chance. Whatever happens on the dice, interpret as narrative.
Hey Anthony, what about monks?
Monks don't do anything different. Though my rules for monks are slightly altered from the PHB, when it comes to unarmed combat I run them by the book. That includes THIS bit of ugliness:
-9 -8 -7 -5 -3 -1 0 0 +2 0 +4
If you don't know what that is, you have other blog posts to read before you understand AD&D. Enjoy the journey. Seriously. It's a fun one. Suffice to say that monks kick ass against opponents without much armor and (as it should be) must switch to weapons vs heavily armored foes.
One caveat is that I give a monk's hand a speed factor of 1 so that on tied dice he really gets to go bananas. Usually it means the monk gets 3 attacks that round with his fists vs much slower weapons. At very high levels, speed factor actually provides no benefit since mister Monk will already be striking 3 or even 4 times a round. But at low levels I think it's nice to throw the monk an additional bone on tied dice.
I think that sums it up.
As a bonus, however, I guess this a reasonably adjacent topic to talk about Blink. Blink is a sometimes maligned spell that offers wildcard fun if you run it with the abstract nature of the combat round in mind. It also offers interplay with the maneuver and passing-through rules I offer above.
REF: PHB p72
Step one: Blink moves the PC 5' instead of 3' so that the spell plays nicely with miniatures on a grid.
Step two: If you want, you can keep rolling 2d4 for the segment that Blink happens every round. Or, you can simplify by stating that Blink ALWAYS teleports the character on segment 3.
Look what happens if you do that:
Initiative is rolled: Blinky rolls a 5 and Peedlebum rolls a 2.
This means Blinky goes first and gets 4 segments to act. He uses two segments to close and attacks Peedlebum on segment 3. He hits and deals 4 dmg. At the end of segment 3 Blinky Blinks. Roll 1d8 to determine direction.
If Blinky blinks 5' AWAY from Peedlebum, Peedlebum will NOT meet the criteria for being able to attack Blinky at BOTH locations. Therefore, with one die roll you quickly assess whether Blink protects the Blinker or not.
Some caveats and extrapolations:
First you need to remember that the combat round is an abstraction that contains the opponent's single opportunity to hit as a data point plotted on segment x. In this context, it helps you understand WHY Blink protects. If Blink happens BEFORE the opponent is able to capitalize on that opportunity, the opportunity is potentially removed (if the blinker blinks away-from instead of adjacent-to the attacker). Even if the attacker moves later and repositions, another opportunity to-hit does not present itself that round. This is the abstraction you must understand to utilize such mechanics. You turn this into narrative by saying something like, "Blinky performs an overreach in his battle with Peedlebum and Peedlebum is just about to take advantage of it when Blinky disappears and reappears 5' to the north. The opportunity is thwarted!"
Second, if the opponent is using a long weapon, like a spear, that would provide attack from second rank, Blink is not going to work. Blink will only ever foil the attacks of weapons that don't provide such a reach. Halberds, polearms, spears, lances and the like would ignore blink. So would the reach of a giant or a dragon.
Finally, Blink would certainly be a two-edged sword in perilous terrain. That ledge you are both standing next to? Yeah. Wile E. Coyote move over, I'm right behind you.
With Blink happening reliably on the 3rd segment of the round it also adds some immediacy to the understanding of the initiative roll for the players. They will be able to instantly discern whether Blink saves them or not.
Consider the inverse of the above example, where Blinky rolls a 2 and Peedlebum rolls a 5. In this case Peedlebum goes first and has 4 segments to act. He closes and hits Blinky at the beginning of the third segment. Then Blinky blinks. Blinky might now have to reposition themselves in order to re-engage and strike Peedlebum. Doing so MIGHT break base to base contact with a new foe, causing an opportunity attack!
Note however that these mechanics are all obvious and derived from the systems extant. They are intuitive and proceed from common sense as the combat unfolds without need to consult other rules.
Anytime you have to interrupt play to consult rules and charts it's a red flag for me. One glance at a column is ok. More than that and your system needs streamlining. That's my opinion and the reason I don't adhere to DMG 72----73.
I haven't done a blog post of this type for quite some time. This topic was floated by a reader and it piqued my design sensibilities. Unarmed combat has always been one of those fringe regions of the rules as evidenced by the refactoring attempt made in Unearthed Arcana. I've never seen it as one of the integral cogs (like weapon speed factor, to-hit vs AC type, et. al.) Therefore, it is a place where IMO it's completely permissible to run house rules.
Peace,
and happy gaming
