This month makes 40 years I’ve been playing D&D. Last year I wrote down all the stories from my earliest experiences with the game, playing Holmes Basic with my best friend. I am now at work editing the anecdotes together into a short book.
Coming this summer in electronic formats to DriveThruRPG.
In “Shooting into a Fight” (L’avant garde #39), Phenster addresses an age-old dilemma in D&D combat. I cover how the problem is handled in early editions and give my own solution in “Firing into Melee.”
On first reading, Phenster’s description of the “Friendly Fire Number” may seem complex. I attempt here to break down Hazard’s calculation into discreet steps. After some practice, I find it isn’t so difficult to do the quick mental math.
The task is less daunting if we remember the following points:
“Remember that spells and missiles fired into a melee should be considered to strike members of one’s own party as well as enemy” (Holmes, 20).
Holmes gives no further guidance on the matter. The following method may be used to calculate the chance of friendly fire.
Short Range: According to Phenster, missile fire into melee is only permitted from the weapon’s short range. (But see below, Hail Mary [E].)
Target Has Precedence: In the case where the natural result would hit a friendly, but adding modifiers hits the target, then the target is hit.
Which Friendly is Hit: Phenster doesn’t say how to determine which of two friendly characters are hit. You could dice for it based on the relative sizes of the two characters, but that takes an extra dice roll. When two friendlies are in jeopardy, I call one odd, the other even, at the same time I call the friendly fire number. The attack roll then determines which is hit.
Using Phenster’s examples, I extrapolate creature heights and add a couple other usual types.
| Creature Sizes for Friendly Fire Number | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Height | Creature |
| Small | Up to 3' | Halfling |
| Man-Sized | 4' to 6' | Dwarf, elf, human |
| Big | 7' to 9' | Ogre, minotaur, troll |
| Giant | 10' to 12' | Hill giant* |
| Dragon | Over 12' | Dragon, other giants, purple worm |
| * Phenster says “giant,” but, depending on the type, a giant can be up to 24' in height. I think once the creature is more than twice man-size, the chance of friendly fire is null. | ||
I break down the scenarios into three cases by the shooter’s position in relation to the target and allies. The shooter is attacking either from behind allies in melee with the target, from the target’s flank, or attacking from the target’s rear while all friendlies are opposite.
In the standard case, where the missile fire attacker is trying to shoot into a melee from the same side as the friendly characters, consider one or two friendlies in melee with the target. We start with the base number, then add and subtract for friendlies and the target by size.
Base Number:
Friendlies:
Target:
Other Considerations:
In the case where the attacker is flanking the melee without a friendly in the way, we consider all friendly figures on any side of the target as a group. The number is predetermined, no additions or subtractions.
Another way to think about this case, is simply 2 per side.
When all friendlies are beyond the target, we calculate the number for one or two friendlies in the line of fire (as in From Behind Allies above), then subtract 2.
Hazard doesn’t count any modifiers in the chance to hit a friendly character. Should a shooter’s high Dexterity help to avoid friendly fire? How about a magic bow? Should a high-level shooter have a better chance?
The answers to these questions may depend on how high a Dexterity bonus can be in your game and how much magic treasure comes into the campaign. Another consideration may be the calculation required. It’s easy math for sure, but that extra step in the players’ minds takes a little of the immediate impact out of the dice roll. I like for everyone to know immediately when the dice stops whether the aim was true or somebody needs to make an apology.
The following rules take modifiers and high levels into account. You can use either or both with Missile Fire into Melee [E].
Use the modified dice result to determine friendly fire.
Add 1 to the attack roll for each “step” above the first on the attack matrix, one step being three levels for fighters, four for clerics and thieves, and five for magic-users.
Caveat: Using both these rules, a 4th-level fighter or a 5th-level thief (second step, +1) with a +1 Dexterity bonus for a score of 13 or more and a +1 magic bow at short range (+1), has a +4 on the attack roll, which allows them, in the standard scenario, to shoot into a melee with impunity. Careful.
It’s risky, but in a game where anything is permitted, players may want fire into melee at medium or long range. In this case add 4 to the friendly fire number for each longer range: medium +4, long +8.
“Once the party is engaged in melee, arrows cannot be fired into the fight because of the probability of hitting friendly characters” (Holmes 20).
“…and then melee is joined, after which no missile fire is permitted because of the danger of hitting friendly forces” (21).
In two of three mentions, Holmes interdicts missile fire into melee. Unsatisfactory as this may be, the easiest way to handle the situation is to disallow it. I include this option to remove any ambiguity, should the DM provide a list of house rules to players.
A friend asked me for my mailing address. He wanted to send me something. Strange how we don’t generally have folks’ mailing addresses anymore.
Trans-Atlantic shipping can take a while these days, and, wonder as I might, I couldn’t think of what he might be sending. So I waited. My patience was rewarded by this small marvel.
It’s so beautiful I had to ask where he got it. Turns out, his daughter Lela makes them—by hand!
The leather is goatskin. The toggles and laces are cowhide. The polyester thread is braided and beeswaxed. Lela uses the saddle stitch method: a pair of needles weave a locking stitch that resists unraveling. No logos, stamps, or decoration, the style is simple and elegant.
The toggles were a little stiff on the laces, so they didn’t slide easily. I took the bag to the guy at my local shoe-repair shop—mostly to show it off. In addition to resoling my sandals, Stephanos can do anything with leather. I thought maybe there would be some drop of oil that would loosen the toggles. What do I know. Stephanos said I just had to work it a little. A couple minutes pulling the toggles back and forth on the laces did the trick.
This is most beautiful dice bag I ever had. I love it!
I realize this article reads like an advertisement. Other than the above mentioned social connection, I am in no way affiliated with L & M Productions or Sunnyland Gifts. I do LOVE this dice bag!
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Defeat demons with D&D!
Sometimes you want to shoot a missile weapon into a melee combat. The rulebook says that you CAN'T do it in one place and that you CAN do it in another place but with a chance you might hit a friendly character. Plus, friendlies between you and the enemy give cover to the enemy even though they don't mean to. Ivanhoe has a method that he uses at the Game Hoard where he does a lot of math to figure out the chance that a friendly character is hit. Hazard didn't like it because it takes too long. So he made up his own way to do it, which I'll explain.
When you want to shoot into a fight, Hazard calls out a number that does TWO things:
1.) You have to subtract the number from your missile attack roll to see if you hit the enemy.
2.) If you miss and the attack roll is the number or less without subtracting and no bonuses, then you hit a friendly.
We call it the Friendly Fire Number. Hazard estimates the number based on the size of the enemy, which is the target, and the friendlies in the way. The normal number is 4, and the maximum number is 8. You have to be in short range for your missile weapon.
So, when Beowulf "the Bully" was fighting hand-to-hand with Mangus Magne (evil champion), and Cypher tried to fire a crossbow, the number she subtracted was 4, and she rolled a 3, and she hit the Bully instead of Mangus. Then Danydain Scrubfoot joined the fight, and Hazard said if Cypher wanted to shoot again, the number would be 6, because Danydain was a halfling. If he was a human, it would have been 8.
If the enemy is a small monster, let's say a goblin, add 2 to the number. If it's big, like a troll, the number is 2 less, and if you're shooting at a giant, it's 4 less. A dragon is so big, there's no chance to hit a friendly.
When you're flanking an enemy with no friendly characters on the other side of it, the number is just 2. The size of friends and enemies doesn't matter. If your friends are on both sides and still no one is on the other side, the number is 4. And if at least one friend is also on the other side, like when you gang up on an ogre, the number is 6.
Now, if all your friends are only on the other side of the enemy from where you're shooting, they don't give cover. In fact, the enemy gives them cover, so you take the normal number for friendlies and subtract 2 from it, no matter the enemy’s size.
Hazard only ever counts 2 friendly characters. He does the calculation all in his head. He says you don't have to get it exactly right.
—L’avant garde #39 (June 1981)
“All our adventures together make a campaign. We all made up campaign names that we use for our heroes and wizards.”
—“Welcome to PARADIGM LOST,” Paradigm Lost #1 (April 1980)
In the Pandemonium Society, a player usually invents his or her own “campaign name,” which is a nickname used for the player as well as for the player’s characters. Society players tend to have a stable of characters.
Perusing issues of Paradigm Lost and Phenster’s articles in L’avant garde, I’ve gleaned a few things about “campaign names” and how the Pandemonium Society uses them. Though there are no strict rules, the Society does seem to adhere, more or less, to the following guidelines.
“One kid dropped what he was carrying so much, we made him carry the 10' pole. When we saw a monster, he had to drop the pole anyway. We started calling him Jinx, and we didn’t let him hold the lantern either.”
—“Rules the Pandemonium Society Doesn’t Use,” L’avant garde #35 (December 1980).
A campaign name is malleable. It may change according to events in game play or by player whim.
“My character is Phenster Prime, a magic-user…”
—“Riposte Like Fencing,” L’avant garde #43 (February 1982)
To distinguish a particular character, a second name may be appended to the campaign name, either before or after. The secondary name corresponds to a normal character name and is often inspired by the character’s experience. For example, Cypher, a thief, becomes Jule Cypher after she pulls off a risky heist, thereby acquiring a valuable cache of precious stones (L’avant garde #54).
This is not often done before the character has survived a few adventures. Exceptions are difficult to spot in the source material. One may be “Friar Jack Hazard,” who makes an appearance in an adventure run by Phenster (Paradigm Lost #2). It’s just as likely, though, that other of Friar Jack’s adventures are not recorded.
“Now, Mithrellas (her campaign name used to be Cypher) is the most powerful character in the campaign. She’s a wizard of the Seventh Order in the Banelore Cabal.”
—“State of Pandemonium,” Paradigm Lost #5 (October 1985)
There are some instances where the campaign name is dropped, and the character comes to be called strictly by the secondary name. Moreover, there is one clear case, cited above, where the player’s campaign name changes to a character’s secondary name.
When a retainer becomes a player character, it acquires the player’s campaign name. An example is Jinx, who has the habit to name hirelings after their weapon preceded by an ordinal number: e.g., First Halberd, Fifth Spearman. Appearing late in the house-rules series is a “Jinx Second Sword” (L’avant garde #74).
May well there were other cases in Pandemonium Society play that, not having occasion to be recorded, are now lost to posterity. We have license to adapt campaign names to our own purposes.
These rules are paraphrased from Phenster’s article “Riposte Like Fencing,” L’avant garde #43 (February 1982).
Like Hazard says, the parry rule in Holmes (21) is useful if the opponent is invulnerable to your weapon. We might also employ the parry when we have to fill a hole in the skirmish line and the opponent’s AC is so high that we have little chance to hit, or if we want to convince an attacking monster of our friendly intentions in order to parley. In any case, it’s an interim tactic. We don’t want to be deflecting attacks without a counter blow for long before we follow Jinx out of Dodge.
Riposte [E] increases the parry’s usefulness without making it too advantageous. A knock-on effect, exposed in Phenster Prime’s single combat with Beowulf “the Bully,” is that fighters are encouraged to arm themselves with a variety of weapons.
Riposte [E] and Chance to Break Weapon [E] require some classification of weapons into heavier and lighter. A table of weapon classes by weight: light, ordinary, heavy, and extra-heavy, is given in Damage Dice by Weapon Class [H].
Parry [E] only integrates the Holmes parry into the initiative order with Hold Action [E].
Note that when using Multiple Attacks per Round [E], the parry and riposte count as one attack.
To parry, the defender must hold an attack until the opponent’s count in the initiative order. A defender whose count is lower in the initiative order must hold the action until the opponent’s count in the next round. As in Hold Action [E], the defender’s initiative count becomes the same as the opponent, unless the defender then ripostes (see Riposte [E]). The parry rule from Holmes is otherwise unchanged.
Concerning the possibility that the weapon breaks, we assume Phenster makes no change in the Holmes parry. I make the following amendment, taken from Chainmail’s Man-to-Man Combat (25-6): Only a lighter parrying weapon has the chance to break. If the weapon breaks, the defender cannot riposte.
Though a parry is always possible, a riposte is allowed only when the defender fights with a weapon lighter than the opponent’s weapon or when both combatants wield light weapons. A riposte is a normal attack, which may be made immediately following a successful parry. The riposte takes place on the initiative count after the parry.
Taking both examples from Phenster’s article, I detail actions in each round and add commentary. In both examples, the match ends when one combatant scores three hits.
Aside, I note in the single combat example that the Pandemonium Society uses a system for multiple attacks that would seem to match Nils’ rule printed in L’avant garde #33 (September 1980).
According to the group’s fencing rules, the referee halts the combat after each hit. Mandykin, with the higher AC, goes before Jinx.
Rounds 1 and 2:
Round 3:
Round 4:
Because she riposted, Mandykin’s initiative count in this round is after Jinx.
Both Sides Parry
Phenster doesn’t mention the possibility that both sides might parry. To cover the case, we carry the example further. Let’s say, in round 4, Jinx parries, holding the action until Mandykin attacks. When, instead, Mandykin holds her action to parry, both sides have the option, according to Hold Action [E], to execute an action before the end of the round.
One way a DM might handle it:
- Inform the players that both combatants are holding an action, ready to parry: “You’re both ready to parry, what are you going to do?”
- Allow a beat, maybe two: “One, two…”
- The first to say they attack, does so versus the other’s parry. If the parry is successful, the defender may riposte.
- If neither commits to the attack, the actions are held to the next round…
Imagine, when also using Maneuver [E], the two combatants, weapons raised, circle around each other, looking for an opening… Might be an opportunity to feint.
Phenster Prime, armed with a dagger, faces Beowulf “the Bully” with his two-handed sword. The Bully has the higher Dexterity.
Round 1 (0-0):
With the two-handed sword (long quality), Beowulf attacks at the beginning of the initial round, while Phenster, with the dagger (short), attacks at the end.
Round 2 (1-0 Beowulf):
Now engaged in melee, the light dagger gets first attack and usually gets three attacks per round against the extra-heavy two-handed sword, which goes at the end of the round. But, because Phenster wants to parry Beowulf’s attack and the other has the higher Dexterity score, he holds his second attack until the end of the round when his opponent swings the larger blade. The parry succeeds and the riposte hits, but the round ends and Phenster loses the third attack.
Note that, against an untested foe, a combatant may be ignorant of the other’s agility (i.e. place in the initiative order) until later in the melee. If Phenster had taken his second attack, he would not have been able to parry Beowulf’s swing, though he could have made his third attack afterward.
Round 3 (1-1):
Phenster’s riposte, end of round 2, puts him immediately after Beowulf in the initiative order, so, at the beginning of this turn, the situation is the same. Even so—as if convinced the parry should work to his advantage—he executes the same sequence of attack and parry. But the parry fails, Beowulf hits, so Phenster cannot riposte, nor can he make the third attack.
Round 4 (2-1 Beowulf):
Because the parry failed in the previous turn, Phenster’s initiative count this round is the same as his opponent’s. The dagger man can take the second attack normally, then parry with the third attack, which is simultaneous with Beowulf’s attack. With two hits this round, Phenster Prime wins.
After twice losing his third attack, Phenster seems to recognize a tactical error. While taking a chance to lose the second attack to a failed parry in the second and third rounds, he was sure to lose the third attack, because the exchange with the two-handed sword occurs at the end of the round. In the fourth round, he gets all three attacks only because the exchange of blows is simultaneous.
Even cursory analysis shows that a simple 10% less chance to be hit is not worth the certainty of losing an attack. Whether it’s worth the possibility of losing an attack (odds of the parry failing) is less clear. Without working out all the calculations, it’s fair to say that we shouldn’t “just parry willy-nilly.”
“Information about the previous culture may require research…. Information that may be learned through this method is noted in each room accompanied by the domain(s) to which it belongs: arcane, history, or religion.”
—from “2A. An Unheeded Warning,” heading Common Knowledge and Research
Characters may conduct research at the Magic-User’s Guild Library and the Temple Archive. While history may be learned at either institution, arcane knowledge may only be discovered at the Magic-User’s Guild Library, and information about religion only at the Temple Archive. All knowledge concerning religion is recorded in Sacred Signs.
Access to the Magic-User’s Guild Library is free for guild members. Non-members must pay 10 g.p. per day. Only devout tithers may enter the Temple Archive. A tither gives 10% of all income (usually treasure) before taxes (including the gate tax). A devout character, generally, is one who regularly attends rituals and services, but the exact definition is left to the discretion of the bishop. A rich tithe tends to encourage leniency.
Every four hours of research earns one Intelligence check. When researching arcane knowledge, a successful result yields some information.
Researching information about religion, a successful Intelligence check must be followed by a Wisdom check made by a character who reads Sacred Signs. Failure means no sense can be made from the signs. Success means the character has correctly interpreted the signs. Only then is the information imparted.
A character may work up to 12 hours, but no character can have more than two successes in a single day.
Research usually begins with a question and a choice of research institution. The research question guides the character’s line of inquiry as well as the DM’s choice of knowledge to impart. If there is no related knowledge in the domain accessible at the institution, the check fails automatically after the required period of study. The DM should inform the player that no pertinent information about the question is available.
Without a research question, a character has a 1-in-20 chance to find something interesting at the end of the research period. If successful, the character may follow the lead to continue study and earn an Intelligence check at the end of the next period.
Player Knowledge
As the culture represented in Dreaming Amon-Gorloth is derived from Egyptian and other ancient Near Eastern mythologies, players might guess some information based on their own knowledge. This is wonderful and to be encouraged.
But, because the culture here is not an exact copy of those mythologies, only through research can the character prove or disprove the player’s hunch. Thus, using real world knowledge, the player interrogates the fantasy world.
Alternatively, the DM might confirm the player’s information, if correct, or inform the player that it works differently here.
Research is intended not as an encounter, role-playing or otherwise, but as an extended puzzle. A bit of information alone, or a couple bits together, might be a clue to help the party to overcome an obstacle or avoid disaster. Some information is only a piece of a puzzle the players put together over the course of the campaign.
The interesting part of research is puzzling out the clues. So, while the players may spend as much time as they like in this discussion, the research periods should pass with a dice roll.
Skipping around a bit, I’m thinking to address all Phenster’s articles dealing with combat first, in some kind of order that builds on previous house rules. The following comes from L’avant garde #43 (February 1982).
We were talking about how useless it is to parry in combat. With the parry rule, you're harder to hit, but you don't get to attack. Hazard said it's only good for if you're fighting a monster that can only be hit with magic or silver. Jinx said if he can't hit it, he's going to get the heck out of Dodge! And we all agreed.
But then Mandykin said she watched fencing on TV, and they always get to hit back after they parry. She said it's called a "riposte." We all thought that made sense, so we made up some extra rules for parry. You can only use this rule against a monster that's using a lighter weapon than you, unless you're both using light weapons, then you can parry and riposte.
Parry works like normal, except that if your parry works and you don’t get hit, you get to riposte. If it doesn't work, you get hit and you lose your attack. Instead of attacking on your turn, you have to say you're going to parry, then wait for when it's the monster's turn to attack you. You parry at the same time the monster attacks, and if you riposte, you go on the next count. So, you can't just parry willy-nilly. Hazard said we shouldn't make it so good that everybody wants to parry all the time.
To try out our new rules, Jinx challenged Mandykin to a duel. Mandykin chose fencing swords, which she said are called "epay." She said an epay weighs about the same as a dagger, so they're light weapons. They fought to 3 hits, and Hazard stopped the fight after each hit, just like in real fencing. Mandykin won easy because her DEX is higher (she's a thief), so she got to go first. She parried Jinx's attack and riposted and hit Jinx every time but once. The one time she missed, Jinx got to attack and Mandykin couldn't parry, but he still missed. Mandykin won 3 to 0.
To make it more interesting, I challenged Beowulf "the Bully" to single combat--no fencing match this time. My character is Phenster Prime, a magic-user, so he can only fight with a dagger, and I've already said the Bully likes his two-handed sword. I cast a SHIELD spell on myself, so I had AC 4. Beowulf has a good DEX and wears magic plate mail (+1), so his AC is 1.
The Bully charged and hit me with his first swing! Then I missed, but the 2ND round I got 3 attacks, because I'm faster with my dagger than Beowulf and his two-handed sword. So I attacked and missed with my first attack and parried with my second one. Beowulf missed on his second swing, so I riposted and hit him. Then I wanted to attack again, but Hazard said I lost my third attack while I was waiting for Beowulf to strike.
The score was 1 to 1 in the 3RD round. I tried the same thing again. I missed the first attack, then I parried, but Beowulf hit me anyway. So, I lost my second attack and the third one too!
I was down 1 to 2--no more room for mistakes. . . The 4TH round my first attack hit. But my second attack missed. Beowulf's swing came at the same time as my third attack, so I parried and he missed. Then I hit with my riposte! I won 3 to 2. The Bully grumbled for a little while. He says he's going to challenge me to a rematch after his wounds are healed.
Created by Thawt and revealed to the priesthood by Amon, Sacred Signs constitute a pictographic script. Similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, each sign or glyph represents a discreet thing, action, or idea or serves to clarify another sign. Sacred Signs are carved or painted on stone, painted on papyrus, and pressed into leathery clay tablets. Those pressed into tablets are often fired, as the information they convey is intended to endure. All religious texts are written in Sacred Signs.
Learning to read and write Sacred Signs was once reserved for the clergy. Through interpretation of the signs, the priesthood leveraged the power of the temple against that of the throne. Since the rise of the Sun King, who embodies the divine power of the Solar Goddess, non-clergy are permitted to learn Sacred Signs. The temple frowns on the practice, though, and only teaches Sacred Signs to its acolytes. Temple priests are fond of saying that anyone can learn what the glyphs represent, but only one endowed with the wisdom of the Solar Goddess may correctly interpret Sacred Signs.
Characters of other classes may learn to read Sacred Signs from a sage. Non-clerics who make it known they can read Sacred Signs suffer a -1 penalty to reaction checks when dealing with any temple priest.
Sacred Signs is a written language, not a spoken one. Like any other language, learning to read and write Sacred Signs takes an added language from high intelligence.