Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules

Saving Throw VS. Death

This is the 18th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

“If hit points are reduced to zero or below, the combatant is dead” (Holmes, 18).

The following article was printed in L’avant garde #77, dated March 1986. If the Postlethwaite Collection is near complete, this is Phenster’s penultimate contribution to the newsletter. It is the last concerning the Pandemonium Society’s house rules for combat.

Saving Throw VS. Death

by Phenster

The fight with the gnoll-demon's army went bad for us. Phenster Prime only had 3 hit points left when the black dragon raised its head out of the water. I tried to DISINTEGRATE it, but it saved, and I didn't have any other good spells against it, because I already used FIRE BALL on the gnolls and CHARM MONSTER on Charon, who was poling us down the River Styx, taking us to Hell.

We were sitting ducks. The dragon spit acid on us, and it didn't matter if I saved or not, and it didn't matter if the acid was washed away as the boat sank into the current. Phenster Prime was sizzled. Hazard called it an ignominious death.

When we used to play cops and robbers and war or other make-believe games, when we shoot somebody, we just say, "BANG, you're dead! Count to 10!" And you have to fall on the ground and count to 10 really really fast before you can get up and get back in the game again.

But D&D isn't like those make-believe games. The rules say when you lose all your hit points, you're character dies. No bang, no counting--when you're dead your dead. We usually play by the rules. You can be raised or resurrected with magic, but it's expensive and takes time to go back to base town and talk to the bishop or a wizard. Most times at 0 hit points it's faster just to roll up a new character, or take a henchman if you have one, and get back in the game.

Hazard gave me a saving throw versus death, but I didn't make it. You have to roll a 20 minus your level, then add your h.p. bonus. I needed an 8, but I got a 5, so Phenster Prime was dead on the River Styx.

The Bully got sizzled, too, but he made his saving throw against death. (He only needed a 4.) He was still unconscious though with 1 h.p., so Friar Tombs had to haul him to shore so he wouldn't drown. Then the Bully woke up, and Friar Tombs put some healing on him, while I rolled up a new character because I didn't have a henchman.

The dragon disappeared, and so did Charon, and they never found Phenster Prime's body. The party was stranded on the shore of the River Styx, so they had to walk to Hell. Phenster Double Prime joined them on the way.

Save vs Death [P]

A character who reaches 0 or fewer hit points may attempt a saving throw vs Death. The number needed is 20 minus the character’s level. The character’s Constitution bonus to hit points is added to the roll. Failure means death. Success means the character has 1 hit point and is unconscious until the end of the current encounter.

This was a recurring joke among the AD&D crowd when I was a teenager. A game in which one might make a saving throw versus Death couldn’t be serious. For that reason, I throw it in category [P] Pandemonium.

Dirty Fighting

This is the 17th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

The following excerpts are from Phenster’s contribution to L’avant garde #53 (March 1983). Though out of order, they reproduce the entire article.

Dirty Fighting

by Phenster

Sometimes we want to do something in combat besides attacking with a weapon. Like the time Mandykin had to fight an ogre all by herself after she got separated from the group by a falling portcullis. We couldn't lift the portcullis, so the rest of us went to find another way around. Mandykin found the ogre's lair first. She knew she couldn't beat it in a fair fight, so she had to fight dirty.

She had a bag of salt that we use to throw at zombies, so she threw a handful in the ogre's face, first. She had to make a missile attack with a -4 penalty. She hit, so the ogre was blinded. (Sometimes we throw sand, too, and it's the same.) Then she wanted to trip it. So she rolled her hit dice and added +2 for her high dexterity (17) against the ogre's hit dice. She had 7 4-sided vs. the ogre's 4+1 d8s. It was close but she did it. By the time we found the long way around, Mandykin had the ogre tied up and was sitting on its belly.

Then there was the time we fought a balrog at the edge of the Pit to Hell. Only Beowulf and Jinx had magic weapons, and my spells weren't working on it. Jinx said, "Let's rush it." I said, "What?!" He said, "We'll push it back into the Pit to Hell." I said it was a bad idea, because the balrog could immolate. But Beowulf asked me if I had a better idea and I didn't. Hazard said we should all throw our hit dice (+ damage bonus) against the balrog's hit dice. Only four of us could push, and we got 88 all together. The balrog got 49, so we pushed it into the Pit, but it immolated! We all got burned pretty bad, and Jinx got caught by the balrog's whip and was jerked down into the Pit to Hell.

Shoving, Tripping, and Throwing Sand/Salt

Instead of attacking with a weapon, a combatant may take one of the following actions. A character with multiple attacks with a weapon takes only one of these actions per round.

Hit Dice Roll

Shove [E] and Trip [E], as well as Wrestling [E] farther below, use opposed hit dice rolls. That is, each side rolls dice equal in size and quantity to their hit dice. A 6th-level magic-user rolls 6d4; a 10th-level fighter, 9d8+2.1 Constitution bonuses or penalties to hit points are not counted. The higher roll wins the contest.

Shove [E]

Attackers and defenders make opposed hit dice rolls, adding their Strength bonus or penalty to melee attack.2 A successful shove moves the defender a space in the direction opposite the attacker. Attackers move with the defenders, and the combatants are in close quarters (see Close Quarters). In case of failure, the combatants are in close quarters, but the defenders do not move.

Trip [E]

To trip an opponent, an attacker must step into close quarters with the defender. Attacker and defender then make opposed hit dice rolls, adding their Dexterity bonuses or penalties to AC and missile fire.2 A successful trip indicates the defender is prone. (See Prone [E].) On a failed attempt, the defender may immediately attempt a trip, becoming the attacker. A series of failures takes place in an instant of struggle.

Throw Sand/Salt [P]

The attacker, within 10' of the target, makes a missile attack with a −4 penalty. On a hit, the target must make a saving throw vs. Paralysis or be blinded for 2 to 5 rounds, suffering +2 penalty to AC and −4 to attack rolls.

Note: A penalty to an attack roll to effect a particular result is danger close to allowing PCs to “aim for the eyes” with any attack. When using this [P] Pandemonium rule, be prepared to defend against arguments for such “called shots.”

Source of Opposed Hit Dice Rolls

An opposed hit dice roll is also used in a Shield Wall Push [P] (see “Phalanx Fighting” and “The Phalanx and the Shield Wall.”) I find a similar procedure in the Strategic Review Vol. 1, No. 2 (Summer 1975) under the heading QUESTIONS MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED ABOUT DUNGEONS & DRAGONS RULES (3). In a combat example, a group of orcs grapple with a hero. To be successful, the orcs must roll their combined hit dice and beat the hero’s hit dice roll. Prior to the opposed roll, each orc must make a successful attack roll against the hero before its hit dice can be counted in the grapple. The Pandemonium Society seems to ignore this step.

Nonlethal Attacks

Whenever we have a brawl at the Nine of Pentacles (that's our local Sword & Board), we fight with our fists or wrestle, or we use makeshift weapons, like bottles and chair legs. In a fist fight, you do 1 + STR bonus in NONLETHAL damage, which means, if you go down, you aren't dead, you're just knocked out. Makeshift weapons do 1-3 real damage. We can get in big trouble if we kill someone in base town though, so we have to be careful with that. Wrestling is just another hit dice throw that you add your damage bonus to or your dex bonuses. It doesn't really do any damage, but if you win you can make the other guy do what you want, like pin him to the floor or make him say "Uncle" or just about anything else you can think of.

Fist Fighting [E]

A fist does 1 point of damage. Add the attacker’s Strength bonus2 to damage as normal. All damage is nonlethal.

Knocked Out [E]

When a creature takes nonlethal damage equal to its current hit point total, it falls unconscious for 1 to 6 rounds.

Wrestling [E]

The attacker chooses whether to use Strength or Dexterity and steps into close quarters with the defender. The combatants make opposed hit dice rolls adding the chosen bonus or penalty. If the attacker wins, a desired effect takes place.

Feint

Mandykin wanted a way she could do a feint in melee. Hazard said it was a "subtle action," and it's assumed in a combat round. But Mandykin said a feint is about as subtle as a parry and there's a rule for parry right in the book.

A feint is when you trick your opponent into thinking you're going to do one thing, but then you do something else. You catch him off guard, so you get a bonus (+2) on your attack. It only works against man-type creatures. You do a feint on your go, then you have to wait until your opponent goes to see if he fell for it: Roll a 20-sided die, subtract your level, add your opponent's level or hit dice and his bonus for a high wisdom (if he has one). If you roll under your dexterity score, he's tricked! and takes a -2 to his attack, and you attack at +2. If he isn't tricked, he gets a +2 on his attack (because you left yourself open), and you attack normally.

Feint [P]

To feint, an attacker makes a Dexterity check, subtracting his or her level and adding the opponent’s level (or hit dice), plus the opponent’s Wisdom bonus. If successful, the opponent attacks with a −2 penalty, and the attacker, immediately afterward, makes an attack with a +2 bonus. When the feint fails, the opponent attacks with a +2 bonus, and the attacker with a −2 penalty.

Note: I add the attacker’s −2 penalty in the failure case to discourage overuse, and still I class this one as [P] Pandemonium.

1 We’ll see later that the Pandemonium Society uses hit dice by level progression from Greyhawk (1976, 10-11).
2 Also later, we’ll see ability score bonuses and penalties.

Advanced Combat

This is the 16th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

Losing Balance

In the excerpt on critical misses from “Combat Complications” (L’avant garde #49, September 1982), Phenster refers to losing one’s balance in melee. In “Advanced Combat,” three months later, he adds:

Sometimes, especially whenever we're fighting on rough terrain, when we lose our balance there's a chance we might fall down. We have to roll our dex score or less on a d20. Rough terrain is like a field of rubble, a steep slope, or a dungeon floor where stone blocks have been upset by an earthquake or tree roots growing under them. We can't fight from the floor (+4 AC), and it usually takes a turn to get up.

—from “Advanced Combat,” L’avant garde #51 (December 1982)

As “off balance” appears twice in Phenster’s list of possible results due to a critical miss, when using the rule Critical Miss: Lose Next Action [E], consider Balance [P] as a supplement. I put it in the [P] Pandemonium category, because it adds a dice roll to the end of what should be a quick resolution of a combat action. Another option is for the DM to adjudicate, including the fall (or not) in the critical miss result.

Balance [P]

A character who loses balance on uneven ground (e.g. rough or sloping terrain, stair steps) must make a Dexterity check or fall prone.

Prone [E]

A prone character cannot attack, and any attacks on the prone character are made at +4 on the dice. A prone character can stand in one round.

Drawing a Weapon in Melee

“It takes one melee round to draw a new weapon, but one hanging free, or in the other hand, can be employed immediately” (Holmes 21).

According to the rules you can draw a weapon in one round. You can usually only do one thing at a time, but we say you can also draw a weapon while you move, like when we're closing to melee.

—“Advanced Combat”

Draw Weapon While Moving [E]

A combatant may draw a weapon while moving.

Charging and Other Movement in Combat

In the following excerpt, end 1982, Phenster refers to “fully armored” characters, which I assume he gets from Holmes’s Movement Table (9). In Charge [E] below, I translate to any armor, because in 1984 Phenster adds move rates for characters wearing leather armor: In L’avant garde #63 (May 1984), he places “half armored” characters between unarmored and fully armored on the movement table. He also halves the move rates given on the Holmes table.

Phenster does not specify whether a half armored character gets the damage bonus for charging. I defer to Chainmail, which gives the impetus bonus to heavy and armored footmen (17).

Besides Charge [E] and Half Armored Move Rates [E], Maneuver [E] allows a step in melee.

If you are not more than THREE TIMES your melee move distance away from your opponent, you can charge. But it has to be over flat/level ground without any obstacles, and the opponent has to be at least 10' away. If you hit and you are fully armored, you get a +2 bonus on damage from the impetus. And if you slay your opponent, your charge continues and you can attack again if you charge into another opponent, until the end of your charge. Your charge has to be in a straight line.

—“Advanced Combat”

Charge [E]

When an opponent is at least 10' and not more than thrice combat move distance away, a combatant may charge the opponent in a straight line over level terrain. If the attacker is wearing armor, a charge grants a +2 bonus to damage. If the opponent is slain, the attacker continues the charge up to three times combat move distance, engaging subsequent opponents.

Whereas contemporary D&D editions apply the charge bonus to the attack roll, Phenster applies it to damage. One interpretation of Chainmail’s “Impetus Bonus” (17) would do likewise.

Half Armored Move Rates [E]

Characters wearing leather armor or equivalent move normally at 180 feet per turn. They move at 90 feet per turn while exploring, and 15 feet in a combat round.

Flank and Rear Attacks

If you can attack from a monster's flank (90 degrees from its front), you get +1 on the attack. If you come up behind it, you get +2. You're supposed to add another bonus if the monster has a shield and can't use it (like if you're on its right side), but Hazard doesn't mess with that. He just says attacks from behind get +2 on the roll.

You DO NOT get the bonus for flanking if you're less than 90 degrees from the front. If the monster's fighting somebody else and you come up beside it, you might only get one attack with a bonus before it turns to put both its enemies at 45 degrees to its front.

—from “Combat Complications,” L’avant garde #49 (September 1982)

Flank and Rear Attacks [E]

An attack from a flank gains a +1 bonus on the dice; from the rear, +2. Whether the defender wields a shield or no is not considered. Assume that a combatant can change facing (left, right, or about face) on its count in the initiative order or any time immediately prior to an attack.

Defend in Place

Jinx had a good attack roll for once, and he hit the grimpshee with his sword but didn't do any damage. That's how we knew it was immune to normal weapons. So Jinx stepped to one side of the door and defended in place (-4 AC), while Friar Tombs came up with his snake staff, and Phenster Prime threw protection/evil 10'.

—from “At the Gates of Pandemonium,” Paradigm Lost #4 (December 1982)

Full Defense [E]

A melee combatant may forego all attacks and other actions to devote the round to defense, thereby gaining a −4 bonus to armor class. When so defending, only a step is allowed in the round (see Maneuver [E]).

Fighters vs Humanoids

. . . Orcs everywhere—we were surrounded! Mandykin fired her crossbow then drew a sword. I didn't have any spells left, so I took out my dagger to defend my skin. Friar Tombs struck one with his mace. Then it was the Bully's turn. He swung his two-handed sword once and two orcs fell. He swung again and another one went down. Five more swings and all the orcs were dead or ran away. He got so many attacks because he's a 7th-level fighter. If it was 2 HD monsters, like gnolls or lizard men, then it would be 3 attacks.

—“Advanced Combat”

Fighter Multiple Attacks vs Humanoids [E]

Fighters get multiple attacks per round against humanoids. Divide the fighter’s level by the humanoid’s hit dice, drop any fraction. Treat less than 1 HD monsters as 1 HD, and ignore any bonuses to base hit dice. The fighter makes all attacks at once in the usual order of attacks.

Fighter Damage Splatter vs Humanoids [P]

When a fighter slays an undamaged humanoid with one attack, any extra damage is taken by another humanoid, if it is within the fighter’s reach and would be hit by the same attack roll. If the second humanoid was also undamaged and is slain, any remaining damage is taken by another humanoid meeting the same conditions, and so on.

Because it implies the fighter swipes through multiple enemies with a single swing, this rule, for me, feels over-the-top, so I throw it in the [P] Pandemonium category. It can, however, speed up those big combats, and it makes the fighter player feel good.

Hireling and Monster Reactions in Melee

It didn't make any sense that the PCs can decide to run away when the monsters are too tough, but the monsters don't run away when it's plain they're going to be slaughtered. Our NPCs might lose their nerve too, and they might run. Hazard mostly just decides for the monsters and NPCs when their going gets tough. But when he isn't sure, he uses the Hostile/Friendly table from the rulebook to see if the monsters will cut their losses and run. He gives the monsters a number depending on how brave they are. Most monsters fall into the 6 to 8 range. Hired NPCs usually get a 7. For example, kobolds have an 8 morale (Normally courageous), ogres have a 5 (Sturdy), and dragons have a 3. And Clare Brighthelm, a Knight of the Celestial Hart, is Stalwart; she never backs down from a fight.

2: Stalwart, never runs away, never surrenders
3-5: Sturdy, fierce, battle-hardened
6-8: Normally courageous
9-11: Weak of will
12: Coward, always runs away

Whenever the monsters could have a second thought about going on with the fight, Hazard rolls two d6s. If he rolls below the number, the monsters run (or give up if they can't escape). But if he rolls the number or higher, they fight on.

—“Advanced Combat”

Morale [E]

The DM assigns a moral score based on his or her judgment and interpretation of the creature crossed with Phenster’s table. Hirelings begin with a morale score of 7. On a 2d6-roll result lower than the moral score, the creatures flee or surrender. When to check morale is also left to the DM’s discretion.

DMs who find Hazard’s system too haphazard may consult B/X (Moldvay, Cook, Marsh, 1981) for a similar system more fully detailed.

Critical Hits and Misses

This is the 15th in a continuing series of articles, which reedits house rules for Holmes Basic D&D from 40-year-old game club newsletters. Mentions of house rules are in bold text and followed by a [bracketed category designator].

For rules category descriptions and more about the newsletters, see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s.” For an index of articles, see Coming Up in “Pandemonium Society House Rules.”

Phenster’s Pandemonium Society House Rules is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, events, incidents, and newsletters are either products of the author’s imagination or are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is pure coincidence.

Beowulf the Bully charged the last bugbear. He rolled a natural 1 with his two-handed sword, so he missed. Hazard said he stumbled in the charge. He would miss his next attack while he recovered his balance, and the bugbear got to attack him from the flank. The bugbear rolled a 20! That's double-max damage!! The Bully fell dead on the floor with a mace in his face.[1]

—Phenster, from “At the Gates of Pandemonium,” Paradigm Lost #4 (December 1982)

Natural Hits and Misses [E]

A natural 20 always hits; a natural 1 always misses.

Following D&D editions in chronological order, I don’t find this rule in its full form (including both hits and misses) until Molday’s Basic D&D (1981): “…a roll of 20 will always hit, and a roll of 1 will always miss” (B25). We can’t have crits and fumbles without it, so we assume the house rule.

Critical Hits

Critical Hits: Double-Max Damage [P]

On a natural 20, an attack roll automatically hits and does double maximum damage.

Apart from twice maximum damage being a lot, the beauty of this option is that the big moment when the dice comes up 20 is the BIG moment. It happens in an instant. There is no second guessing: “Yeah, well, we’ll see if you confirm…” And no doubling a low damage roll. Because rolled damage, even doubled, is often a let down.

Phenster does not mention whether a Strength or magic bonus is included in the doubling. I would say not: assuming the natural 20 represents an optimal blow, the attacker’s strength is not suddenly doubled, nor does a magic weapon’s power surge.

Critical Hits: Max damage [E]

On a natural 20, an attack roll automatically hits, inflicting maximum damage.

For those who balk at double-max, simple maximum damage also has the benefit of immediacy, while being less likely to end an adventuring career.

Critical Misses

When you roll a 1 for your attack blow, we usually say you drop your weapon and have to draw another one, but it depends on who's the DM. It gets a little boring if it happens more than a couple times in one game. But Hazard has a flair for making stuff up on the spot. Like, you stumble, or your flail gets stuck in the other guy's shield, or something more dramatic. We almost always miss our next turn.

I've tried it before when I'm the DM, but it takes me too long to make something up. So I made a list of all the things Hazard ever did. It turned out that the list wasn't long. It's the details Hazard adds that make the flair. I keep the list handy, and if somebody rolls a 1, I just have to pick something from the list and add some flair.

- Drops weapon
- Weapon stuck
- Breaks weapon
- Over swing (off balance)
- Stumble (off balance, 1 step in random direction)
- Expose flank
- Impaired (penalty on attack OR armor class for 1 round)

—Phenster, from “Combat Complications,” L’avant garde #49 (September 1982)

Critical Miss: Lose Next Action [E]

On a natural 1, an attack roll automatically misses, and the attacker loses the next attack or the next round of action.

I include “next attack” for the case of combatants wielding a lighter weapon and fighters with multiple attacks per round (see Multiple Attacks per Round [E] and “Combat Complications” forthcoming).

Using Phenster’s list, the DM may add details as necessity demands and one’s capability for flair permits.

Critical Miss Immunity [E]

An attacker, who needs a 10 or less on the attack matrix (level/hit dice vs AC), is immune to a critical miss.

My own addition, this rule lowers the chance that a high-level character looks like a bumbling idiot. It takes into account only the attacker’s level versus the defender’s AC. I don’t include bonuses and penalties in the criteria, because often, when the attack roll is high or low, we don’t take the time to add up all bonuses and penalties. By including them in the calculation for critical miss immunity, it forces us to make that calculation, which slows the pace.

Note on Critical Hits and Misses

Statisticians and game designers criticize critical hits and misses for a variety of good reasons. Here I outline the major arguments briefly. The web is mired with more thorough discussion on the topic.2

The base rule is that a 20 always hits and a 1 always misses. Adding additional penalties and bonuses introduces more randomness—therefore more chaos—into combat.

Statisticians warn players that critical hits and misses work against their characters in a number of ways:

  • If we suppose that player characters should have a chance—whether high or low—to win a given fight, then any additional chaos in the system means it’s more difficult to gauge the chance of success.
  • Because there are often more individual monsters than PCs, the latter are more likely to receive critical hits than to deliver them.
  • As fighters advance in level, they get more attacks per round. More attack rolls means a higher-level fighter has more chances to fumble than a lower-level fighter. This works against the game’s basic tenet that characters become more competent as they gain experience.

Game designers agree with the statisticians on the points above. They also balk at additional dice rolls and table lookups. All that takes time, not to mention the dramatic tension is more often broken than held taught.

Most of the statisticians and game designers who make these arguments are adults. In my youth, my friends and I gave little thought to such complicated concerns. The chance to have a dramatic impact on combat far outweighed the chance of bad stuff happening to a beloved player character—if only in our risk-ignorant adolescent minds.

1 To assuage Beowulf’s fans: Phenster tells us later that the party had him raised at the the fortress chapel. Afterward, “Friar Tombs healed his face, but the wound left scars.”

2 In the old school, generally, we talk about critical hits and misses, or casually: crits and fumbles. In later editions, when we start rolling skill checks on a d20, the terms become critical success and critical failure. Adjust search keywords accordingly.

The Phalanx and the Shield Wall

In three issues of The Strategic Review, Gary Gygax describes the spear and its kin: the javelin, lance, and pike, for fantasy adventure gamers (Vol. 1, No. 1, 1975) and details several other pole arms, giving use, length, and a drawing of each (Nos. 2, 4). He revisits the topic in a 1979 Dragon article, “The Nomenclature of Pole Arms” (#22), which is reprinted in Best of Dragon Volume II (1981) and, as an appendix, in AD&D Unearthed Arcana (1985). The corpus is often called Gygax’s “treatise” on pole arms.

The Pandemonium Society recognized the early rendition as a useful resource. Study of the historical use of pole arms, notably the pike, leads inevitably to the phalanx formation and house rules such as those Phenster describes in “Phalanx Fighting.” When we realize we can get two or more weapons in the same frontage normally reserved for one, the tactical advantage is clear.

Phalanx Formation [E]

Whatever its historical meaning, a phalanx, for the Pandemonium Society, is a combat formation in which a spearman—or any combatant armed with a long, thrusting weapon—fights from behind an ally. The phalanx formation is best achieved when the opponent is prevented from closing with the spearman by some means, multiple allies in the fore rank for example.

A pole arm at least eight feet long can attack through one rank; 12 feet or longer, through three ranks; 16 feet, four ranks; 20 feet, five.

Additional Weapons

Phenster’s article mentions two weapons not given in Holmes. For completeness sake, I give them here, each with its weapon class, qualities (see “Weapon Damage and Attack Priority”), and cost, the last of which I determined by my own fiat.

Short Sword [E]

Length: 1-1/2' to 2', weapon class: ordinary (damage: d6), weapon quality: short, cost: 7 g.p.

Long Spear [E]

Length: 10' to 15', weapon class: ordinary (damage: d6), weapon quality: long, two-handed, cost: 3 g.p.

Spear Against Charging Opponents [E]

Any spear versus a charging opponent adds 1 to damage. Set (as against the ground or a wall) versus a charging opponent, it adds 2 to damage.

Maximum Weapon Length in the Dungeon

Two options for limiting overlong weapons in the dungeon’s confines are given here. The latter gets tedious in execution, therefore, I put it in the [P] Pandemonium category (see “About the Reedition of Phenster’s”).

Maximum Length by Weapon Type [E]

In Greyhawk, OD&D Supplement I, Gygax prohibits weapons in the dungeon by type: pikes and pole arms “are not usable in dungeons as a general rule due to length” (15). This works well enough in a campaign with dungeons of usual dimensions.

Maximum Weapon Length Equals Ceiling Height [P]

Hazard’s ceiling height rule is more specific, and Phenster elaborates on the penalties. Carrying a weapon longer than the dungeon’s standard ceiling height is awkward and makes more noise. The DM should reduce the party’s movement to three-quarters normal rate and increase the frequency of wandering monster checks.

Close Order, Ranks, and Quarters

Phenster uses three terms that may be unfamiliar to adventure gamers without military or wargame experience. I define each as I interpret the text, though—still shy of the battle grid—I hesitate to give specific distances. Let’s assume that the normal distance in each case is five feet. The “close” modifier, then, implies some lesser distance.

Close Order: Refers to the distance between allies (left and right) in a rank.

Close Ranks: Refers to the distance between ranks (before and behind). A phalanx formation assumes close ranks.

Close Quarters: Refers to the distance between facing opponents—that is, they are standing toe-to-toe. The situation is achieved by move, when closing to melee, or maneuver, if already engaged (see Maneuver [E]). In close quarters, opponents may attack only with a short, thrusting weapon (a dagger meets these criteria). Otherwise, one or the other may step back by maneuvering (space allowing), or one may push the other (see Shield Wall, below).

Note: As “maneuver” occurs after the melee round in no particular order, when a combatant maneuvers into close quarters, the opponent, if space allows, may also maneuver to step away at the same time.

Shield Wall [E]

Multiple attacks against a single opponent may draw us into a phalanx, but in the shield wall the formation reaches its highest potential. After opposing forces have molested each other with pointy sticks, each side digs in to shove the other backward, employing the weight of its entire phalanx. The goal is to break the opponent’s formation. Once their formation is broken, troops tend to panic, leaving the field to the victors.

To form a shield wall, at least two shield-bearing combatants must be in close order, shields touching if not overlapping.

Shield Wall AC Bonus [E]

Each member of a shield wall, except the rightmost, benefits from the shield of the member on the right, gaining an additional +1 to AC.

Tortoise: Phenster mentions that rear ranks may hold their shields overhead against missile fire. The action is, however, cosmetic, as they would already count the shield’s bonus in their AC.

Shield Wall Push [P]

A shield wall, as described below, gets away with a lot of footwork. Previously eschewing Holmes’s static combat, Phenster allows a combatant, even while engaged in melee, to move but “just not very far” (L’avant garde #35, see also Maneuver [E]). A successful push can easily move both sides quite far. Perhaps the Pandemonium Society used other rules, unpublished, in addition to those in the article. As is, some extrapolation is required, which I do. For its ambiguity, I class Push in [P] Pandemonium. DMs should be prepared to adjudicate.

A shield-bearing rank, whether part of a phalanx or not, or an individual may, following the melee round (see Maneuver [E]), step into close quarters with an opponent and push the opponent backward.

  • Each side rolls dice equal in size and quantity to their total hit dice. All troops in the formation, no matter the number of ranks, are considered. In the case of large forces, the number of dice may be reduced proportionally. For example, 100d8 versus 80d6 becomes 10d8 versus 8d6.
  • The side with the higher result pushes the other side backward a number of feet equal to the positive difference. If a formation is pushed backward a distance equal to its combat move rate in a single round, or if it is pushed a total of three times its move rate, the formation is broken.
  • A broken formation must immediately make a morale check (NPCs only) with a -1 penalty. A failed check indicates a retreat: members run away (combat move ×3) and cannot defend (-2 AC). On a successful check, the force withdraws: members can defend (but not attack) while moving at combat speed to the rear. Once withdrawn, the phalanx is considered reformed at the beginning of the next round.

Phalanx Fighting

In his Letter from the Editor (L’avant garde #46, June 1982), Steve Ruskin introduces the following article with a backhanded compliment:

“And it looks like our young friends of the Pandemonium Society are progressing (or regressing) into wargaming. This time Phenster & Co. have dug up Gygax’s pole arms treatise to field a phalanx formation. I don’t recall that anyone in the [East Middleton Wargamers] Association has tried to do such a thing at man-to-man scale. Points to the kids for this admirable attempt. Typical for Phenster’s contributions, I’m sure there are useful rules in there somewhere. Up to you to figure them out.”

Phalanx Fighting

by Phenster

Ivanhoe gave us some old copies of Strategic Review, which is about D&D and some other stuff, like wargames. Ivanhoe said it's like Dragon magazine but from a long time ago. We found some articles about spears and pole arms, and Cypher looked it up in the set of encyclopedias she has at home, as she likes to do. She wrote a book report about what all she found out, and we added it to Cypher's Codex, which is a 3-ring binder we keep with all her research in it.

Spears

A normal spear is from 6 to 9 feet long. You can throw it as a missile weapon or use it hand-to-hand by thrusting it at your opponent. A long spear is between 9 and 15 feet. It's too long to throw, but with a spear at least 8 ft. long, you can attack an opponent from behind a rank of allies (which you can do with any pole arm, including halberds). A 12-ft. long spear can reach through 2 ranks of fighters.

Pikes

A pike is a spear 15 feet long or even longer. It can reach through 3 or more ranks of fighters. We can't take pikes into the dungeon, usually. Hazard's rule of thumb is that we can use weapons equal in length to the dungeon's regular ceiling height or less but no longer. We tried it one time. We had 12-ft. long spears in a dungeon with ceilings 10 ft. high. They slowed us down, and we made a lot of noise. Then, when a bunch of goblins attacked us (because of all the noise) from the side corridor, we couldn't even get the spearmen into position to defend our flank.

Phalanx

We arm men-at-arms with plate mail (when we can afford it) and shields with spears and short swords. We put them in 3 ranks, 4 across, in a 10-ft. hallway. When we meet monsters, the 1st rank throws their spears if they have time. If not--like when we're surprised--they drop their spears and draw their swords. Once we're closed for melee, the 1st rank fights with short sword and the 2nd rank attacks with their spears. The 3rd rank replaces any wounded or killed in action.

If we go into a room or a wider corridor, the ranks can spread out to fill a 20' wide front (that's 5' per man) or change to a formation 2 ranks x 6 men, 30 feet wide. In close order (2 and a half ft. per man), you can't swing a sword. You have to use a short, thrusting weapon, like a short sword or a dagger.

(A sword needs at least 3' to use effectively. Most other big weapons, for example, a battle axe or a morning star, need at least 5'.)

When we're outside, exploring the wilderness or fighting a big battle for example (not in the dungeon), we can have many ranks (up to 10 or even 20) in a phalanx. We put missile weapons (javelins, slings, bows) behind the phalanx to fire over their heads at the enemy not in melee. But we have to protect the flanks with other troops (cavalry is best), because the phalanx doesn't maneuver very quickly.

Charging

A phalanx can charge, but it only moves 50% faster than normal. A spearman (or any armored fighter) gets a +1 bonus on damage due to momentum. If you attack a charging opponent with a spear, you get a +1 bonus on damage. You can also "set the spear" (brace it against a wall or the floor) against a charging opponent. Then you get +2 on damage.

Shield Wall

Another thing we like to do in a phalanx is make a shield wall. Short swords or normal spears only, because long spears need two hands to hold. When you make a shield wall, each man-at-arms stands shoulder to shoulder in close order formation. The front rank holds their shields so they overlap. A shield usually gives you 1 better armor class, but in a shield wall you get +2, except for the man on the right end. Ranks behind the front can hold their shields over their heads against missile fire attacks.

With a shield wall, the formation can push the enemy backward. We count the hit dice of every man-at-arms in the formation. The total dice are rolled and compared to the hit-dice roll of the enemy formation. (Add strength bonuses for characters too.) The difference in the two totals is the number of feet the winner pushes the loser back. If one side pushes the other side more than their combat move rate in one round, or a total of thrice their move rate, then the other side's formation is broken. The broken formation has to check morale (-1 penalty) to stay in the fight. When men-at-arms are pushing with their shields like that, they are in close-quarters combat. They can't attack, except with a dagger or their fists if they have a free hand.

Missile Fire into Melee

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:

  1. Throughout the text, Phenster uses only even numbers up to the maximum of 8. So we only have four options: 2, 4, 6, or 8.
  2. We don’t have to take into account all figures in the melee. We only consider one or two friendly characters, between the shooter and the target, and only one creature as the target.
  3. Like Hazard says, “You don't have to get it exactly right.”

Missile Fire into Melee [E]

“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.

Method

  1. Determine the friendly fire number (below).
  2. Subtract the friendly fire number from the attack roll and add bonuses and penalties as normal to determine a hit or miss on the target.
  3. If the natural dice result is the friendly fire number or less, a friendly is hit.

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.

Sizes

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.

To Determine the “Friendly Fire Number”

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.

From Behind Allies

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:

  • No matter who’s in the fight, the base number is 4.

Friendlies:

  • Subtract 2 for small friendly.
  • Add 2 for large friendly.
  • Add 2, 4, or 6 for second small, man-sized, or larger friendly.

Target:

  • Subtract 2 or 4 for larger target.
  • Add 2 for small target.

Other Considerations:

  • Assumes the friendly character is directly between the enemy and the would-be shooter. If the shooter is off to one side, but not flanking, subtract 2.
  • When two friendlies are before the target, the shooter may move to one side, space allowing, so only one friendly is in consequence.
  • The DM may add 2 or 4 for friendlies not in melee but masking fire in the middle field.
  • In no case should the friendly fire number be lower than 2.

From Flank

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.

  • Friendlies on one side: 2
  • Friendlies on two sides: 4
  • Friendlies on three sides: 6

Another way to think about this case, is simply 2 per side.

All Friendlies Opposite

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.

Modifiers to Mitigate Friendly Fire or No?

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].

Add Modifiers to Mitigate Friendly Fire [E]

Use the modified dice result to determine friendly fire.

Add Level “Steps” to Mitigate Friendly Fire [E]

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.

Hail Mary [E]

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.

No Shooting Into Melee [H]

“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.

Shooting into a Fight

Shooting Into a Fight

by Phenster

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)

Campaign Names

“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.

Parry and Riposte

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.

Parry [E]

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.

Chance to Break Weapon [E]

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.

Riposte [E]

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.

Phenster’s Examples

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).

Fencing Duel

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:

  • Mandykin holds her attack, parries.
  • Jinx attacks, misses.
  • Mandykin ripostes and hits.
  • [Halt]

Round 3:

  • Mandykin holds her attack, parries.
  • Jinx attacks, misses.
  • Mandykin ripostes and misses.

Round 4:

Because she riposted, Mandykin’s initiative count in this round is after Jinx.

  • Jinx attacks, misses.
  • Mandykin attacks, hits.

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.

Single Combat

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.

  • Beowulf charges, hits.
  • Phenster misses.

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.

  • Phenster misses.
  • Phenster holds action to parry.
  • Beowulf misses.
  • Phenster ripostes, hits.

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.

  • Phenster misses.
  • Phenster holds action to parry.
  • Beowulf hits.

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.

  • Phenster hits.
  • Phenster misses.
  • Phenster parries.
  • Beowulf misses.
  • Phenster ripostes and hits.

“No more room for mistakes…”

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.”