With his first house-rules article (see “Pandemonium Society House Rules”), Phenster attacks the most salient problem in the Holmes edition. In a world where all weapons do the same damage and light weapons attack twice per round, daggers get a lot of use, and we wonder why swords—or indeed any other weapons—ever came under the blacksmith’s hammer.

Charming Solution

By far the simplest solution is to ignore Holmes’s varying number of attacks per round by weapon. Thus, every weapon strikes once per round and does d6 damage. Weapon choice then becomes purely aesthetic. This solution has its charm.

Using the following weapon damage and attack priority rules together disarms the dagger-wielding fighter and gives the adventurer meaningful choices when considering arms.

Damage Dice by Weapon Class [H]

Phenster notes a d6 modified by -1, +1, and +2 for three weapon classes. I assume he intends a fourth class for medium weapons—Holmes uses “ordinary”—which inflict damage equal to an unmodified dice.

In the table below, I note the weapons in each class. Where neither Phenster nor Holmes (20) specifies, I use the weapon damage versus man-sized opponents from Greyhawk (OD&D Supplement I, 15) as a guide.

I show an alternative method, not considered in Phenster’s article, that is more familiar to us from B/X. Comparing it to the d6 method, the average damage is the same or, in the case of d6-1, comes close: 2.5 for a d4 versus 2.67 for d6-1, but the ranges of possible results differ.

Heavy and extra-heavy weapons have a higher minimum and lower maximum possible result than the alternative method. Light weapons, while they have two chances in six to do 1 point of damage, might do up to 5.

I like the alternative method, because it makes use of more of the “crazy dice.” But it tilts the rules terrain toward B/X, and that’s a slippery slope. Moreover, it veers from the Holmes spirit. Rolling a d6 for damage feels more like Bluebook D&D.

Attack Priority by Weapon Quality [H]

To determine who gets the first blow, Phenster gives priority to certain weapons, which I separate by melee and missile and sort into three qualities each: (melee) Short, Long, and Two-Handed—if my interpretation of “Two-handed swords, et. al.” is correct—and (missile) Slow, Fast, and Loaded.

Engagement

From Phenster’s “when you’re fighting something” and from the example of Beowulf versus orcs, I derive the term “engagement.” An engagement occurs between individual combatants. A melee comprises one or more engagements.

Phenster’s example:

—L’avant garde #32 (August 1980)

Go First, Go Last

Phenster gives no indication as to how we should integrate first and last strikes into the initiative order. Assuming the Pandemonium Society uses Holmes’s initiative-by-Dexterity system, we might do it the same way we integrate the Editor’s directions about magic spells and missile fire:

“When there is time, or when a magic-user says he is getting a spell ready, magic spells go off first. This is followed by any missile fire…” (Holmes, 21)

In play tests, I divide a round into beginning, middle, and end phases, handling all actions (missile, magic, melee) within each phase in Dexterity order.

I add the Loaded quality to bows, in the case where a bowman “knocks an arrow” just prior to impending combat. Note that, unlike a crossbowman, the bowman’s arm tires quickly, so the knocked state cannot last long.

Caveat to Short and Long Weapons

When an attacker with a short weapon gets inside a longer weapon’s reach before the defender can react, the DM might rule that the short weapon gets the first blow.

For examples, when striking from behind, of course, and when closing on an opponent already engaged in melee with another.

Similarly, a combatant with a longer weapon (e.g., normal vs. short or long vs. normal) may use the parry action (Holmes, 21) to step back, thus disengaging. If the parry is successful, i.e., the parrying combatant is not hit, and if the two opponents come together in the next round, it is considered a new engagement, where the longer weapon again gets the first blow.

Source

Though Phenster does not mention a source in the 1980 article, the attack priority system for melee weapons yields results similar to the man-to-man initiative system given in Chainmail (25-26), and the missile weapon attack priorities are not dissimilar to its mass combat rates of fire (11).

Example: Attack Priority

In this example, I ignore movement rates as well as hits and misses. I also ignore Holmes’s instruction to dice for first blow when “dexterities are within 1 or 2 points of each other” (21), as does Phenster [covered later]. The first two combat rounds are shown, divided into beginning, middle, and end phases. Any movement, which usually takes place after the melee round, is included with the character’s action.

The order of march gives the character class of each party member and their weapons with any notes, including weapon qualities (in parentheses). Dexterity scores are shown [in brackets].

Player Party Order of March:

• Fighter [12], sword
• Fighter [6], spear (Long)
• Magic-User [11], dagger (Short)
• Thief [15], bow (Fast) and dagger (Short)
• Elf [10], light crossbow (Loaded) and sword

While the party traverses an intersection of two 20'-wide corridors, three gnolls, approaching from the corridor on their right, see the light and charge. The 1st and 2nd Gnolls [14, 9], armed with maces, lead the charge. The 3rd Gnoll [7], wielding a halberd (Long, Two-Handed), trails, so, closes to melee in the second round.

Neither side is surprised. During the gnolls’ charge, the two fighters (Swordsman and Spearman) step in front of the magic-user, who prepares to cast a spell. The thief could knock an arrow, thus adding the Loaded quality to the bow, but the gnolls’ charge catches the player flat-footed.

First Round

Beginning:

• Magic-user [11] casts shield.
• Elf [10] shoots crossbow (Loaded) at 1st Gnoll.
• Spearman [6] (Long) attacks 2nd Gnoll.

Middle:

• Thief [15] shoots at 1st Gnoll—who is not yet engaged in melee; see next.
• 1st Gnoll [14] attacks Swordsman—now it’s engaged.
• Swordsman [12] attacks 1st Gnoll.
• 2nd Gnoll [9] attacks Spearman.

End:

• Thief [15] shoots bow (Fast) at 3rd Gnoll.
• Magic-user [11] draws dagger, steps up to flank 2nd Gnoll.
• Elf [10] drops crossbow, draws sword, steps forward.

Second Round

Beginning:

• Magic-user [11] with dagger (Short) attacks 2nd Gnoll—because the gnoll is already engaged (see Caveat above).
• 3rd Gnoll [7] with halberd (Long, Two-Handed) attacks Elf.

Middle:

• Thief [15] drops bow, draws dagger, moves to attack from behind (next round).
• 1st Gnoll [14] attacks Swordsman.
• Swordsman [12] attacks 1st Gnoll.
• Elf [10] attacks 3rd Gnoll with sword.
• 2nd Gnoll [9] attacks Magic-User.

End:

• Spearman [6] attacks 2nd Gnoll.

Should the Spearman fell the 2nd Gnoll at the end of this round, he may then engage the 3rd Gnoll, attacking in the beginning of the next round.