Combat Possibilities (CGH)

__TOC__
The course of combat in the arena typically happens as outlined in the following steps.
# Announce special attacks, such as called shots.
# Roll initiative.
# Add weapon speed or casting time.
# Roll attacks in order of initiative.
# Roll damage.
# Roll secondary attacks.
Two combat possibilities (standard and special attacks), available to anyone who can heft a trikal or swing a fist, are outlined below. The following is an abbreviated list, designed for easy reference. The second listings go into more detail for those curious about the true workings of these maneuvers.
Standard Attacks: These are the typical attacks a gladiator is likely to use.
* Melee Attack: Standard attack, with Strength, specialization, and magical bonuses.
* Missile Attack: Standard attack, with Dexterity, specialization, and magical bonuses.
* Parry #1: Add 1 /2 character's current level to AC (ignore fractions); 1 /2 level + 1 to AC for warriors. This functions against all attacks in a round.
* Withdraw: Disengage from combat, back away at 1 /3 maximum Movement.
* Flee: Turn tail and run. Enemies whose melee weapons can reach the fleeing character may take a free shot at +4 to hit, if they so desire.
* Charge: Move at 1 Vi maximum move, gain a +2 to attack rolls (opponents get —2 initiative bonus, attacker loses all Dexterity bonuses and suffers a —1 AC penalty).
* Set for Charge: Can cause extra damage to a charging enemy, works only with polearms.
* Hold Action: Allows the character to delay action until any later point in the round.
* Unarmed Combat: An armed defender gets a free attack in the first round when attacked by an unarmed foe, gaining a +4 bonus to both attack and damage rolls. After that point, only weapons of size S can be used, as the two are assumed to have grappled.
* Punch/Martial Arts: No proficiency need be taken with Punching, although one must be spent to learn Martial Arts.
* Wrestle: Any Hold result grapples an opponent, and this hold can be broken only by certain maneuvers.
* Overbear: Opponent (or weakest member of overbearing parry) rolls an attack. There is a penalty of+/—4 for size difference (determined by creature size),—2 for number of target's legs (each leg beyond two), and +1 for each extra attacker. A successful attack knocks the target prone; a subsequent attack pins (see Wrestling).
Special Attacks: Most of these are taken at a +1 initiative and a —4 attack penalty, unless specifically noted. Such attacks are typically used less often than are standard attacks.
* Disarm: Gets rid of an enemy's weapon, knocks a shield out of line, or partially disarms a two-handed weapon (reduces it to one hand).
* Expert Disarm: Requires.+ 1 to initiative and —4 to hit. Places a disarmed weapon where the attacker wants within 12 inches.
* Grab: If successful, an item can be grabbed. If grabbing a person, there must be a Strength check. There is a —3 Strength penalty for a one-armed Grab.
* Parry #2: Roll to hit against attacker's AC (add +2 for any shield); this parries the first attack from that attacker. Optionally, the defender can risk the first attack and ' save the parry for another attack from the same opponent
* Pin: No initiative penalty, —4 attack penalty. Successful attack pins opponent's weapon. Enemy gets a free Strength check to try to break the pin each round.
* Pull/Trip: Announce at attack. If it hits, victim gets a Dex check. If this is unsuccessful, the victim falls down. The victim gains a +6 to the Dex check if not moving, or—3 penalty if moving and unaware of the attack. No modifier if victim is moving and aware of attack.
* Sap: +1 initiative bonus, —8 attack penalty. An attack to knock the enemy unconscious. The attacker rolls damage, and gets a 5% chance of knockout per point to a maximum of 40%. Weapons' magical bonuses do not count toward this attack. An immobile character is automatically hit, and the chance of knockout increases to 10% per point of damage, up to 80%.
* Shield-Punch: Hitting someone with the shield. The shield's magical bonuses do not count in determining THAC0.
* Shield-Rush: A slam into someone with the shield to knock them down, forcing a Dex check. There are multiple modifiers to determine if the character hits and if the target remains standing.
==Standard Attacks==
These are attacks that anyone can make without fear of undue penalties or modifiers to their attack.
Melee Attack: This is a normal attack.
Missile Attack: A typical stand-and-fire attack.
Parry #1: The PC adds 1/2 his current level (l/2 level +1 for warriors) to AC for a better chance to avoid a blow. Thus, a 7th-level warrior with AC 6 gains a +4 bonus to AC, for a total AC of 2.
Withdraw: The PC can disengage from combat without fear of retaliation by retreating at 1 /3 maximum Movement. This means the PC retreats in orderly fashion, keeping defenses toward the opponent. Withdrawing PCs can parry attacks, but may not launch any attacks. The disadvantage to the Withdrawal is that enemies can easily keep up with the PC unless there is a large enough crowd or other distraction through which the PC can withdraw.
Flee: This is a far less orderly retreat than the Withdrawal. By turning tail and running, the PC tries to avoid any further damage. This option is made less attractive by the fact that any enemies near the character get a free melee attack (regardless of whether they have attacked this round or not).
Charge: By gaining more speed (1 Vi times maximum Movement), the character gains a +2 bonus to hit opponents because of the sheer momentum involved. Also, certain weapons inflict double damage on a successful charge. However, the opponent gains a +2 bonus to the initiative roll; the charging character loses all AC bonuses from Dexterity and takes an additional —1 AC penalty.
Set for Charge: This is an effective defense usable only with pole weapons. Certain weapons gain a bonus when set to receive a charge (Player's Handbook, Chapter 6). If the defender braces the weapon against a firm support, the charging enemy can suffer serious damage.
Hold Action: This allows a character to forfeit initiative to determine the probable course of combat in the round. Although this action means the character automatically loses initiative, he also does not have to declare actions until the initiative reaches him. The character can choose any later initiative segments ("after Thykryl has attacked but before Sampson attacks") in the round for both his initial and secondary attacks (modified for weapon speed).
==Special Attacks==
These are attacks that require some degree of skill or luck, as well as some degree of confidence in one's abilities, since most of them demand at least a +1 initiative bonus and a -4 attack penalty.
Disarm: A successful Disarm roll knocks the opponent's weapon 2d6 feet However, this applies only to one-handed weapons. Against two-handed weapons, a successful Disarm causes the wielder to automatically lose initiative the following round while he regains his grip with one hand on his weapon. Two successful Disarms in a single round disarm a two-handed weapon. A Disarm against a shield causes the shield to be knocked out of line, negating the shield s bonus for the round.
Thrown weapons and missiles can also disarm targets, though daggers and other small weapons suffer an additional penalty because of their lightweight. Arrows, quarrels, and slingstones do not suffer a penalty.
Any weapons and shields knocked out of line can be realigned if the victim has one attack left.
Expert Disarm: This maneuver allows the Disarming character to choose where the flying weapon lands, within 1 2 feet of his opponent. This allows the character to take an enemy's weapon, rearm a nearby ally, or place the weapon out of the opponent's reach.
This works only against single-handed weapons.
Grab: The character attempting this move must have at least one hand free, and it works better with two hands. If the attack is successful, the character has grabbed whatever he was trying to hit, whether the enemy's shirtfront or his weapon. However, if someone else is holding that item, the attacking character cannot just wrest it away. There must first be a contest of Strength to determine who gains a better hold on the item, and who keeps control. In this case, both opponents must roll 1d20 and compare the number to their Strength ability scores. Whoever rolls better compared to their Strength score gets the item.
:Example: A. half-giant with 24 Strength vies for control of an impaler against a mul with 19 Strength. The half-giant rolls a I 9, while the mul rolls a 15. Since the difference between 1 9 and 24 is greater than the difference between 15 and 19, the half-giant wins the contest of strength and, therefore, control of the impaler.
Ties in such a contest re-roll after all others have performed their first actions in that round. The Grab counts as only one attack; after the contest is over, the character may still make his second and third attacks if applicable.
If Grabbing a person one-handed to restrain the individual against his will, the usual penalties apply. Also, the attacker's Strength is considered to be —3 for purposes of the Strength contest. For 18 percentile Strengths (18/00, 18/72, etc.), subtract 3 percentile places; that is, 18/00 becomes 18/70, while 18/73 becomes 18/43. An 18/01 becomes 16. If the character wishes to Grab with 2 hands, he or she may elect to perform a Wrestling maneuver rather than taking the initiative and THAC0 penalty. If the person being grabbed has any attacks left in the round, he may use them against the person grabbing by Punching, wrestling, or stabbing them with a short weapon. He can also use his attack to try breaking the Grab by forcing another Strength contest.
Parry #2: To perform this maneuver, the character announces two things: his intention to Parry in the round, and how many attacks the character is devoting to Parries in the round. The character can announce which attack(s) he wishes to Parry. When the attacker swings, even if it is before the character's initiative, the character has a chance to block it. He rolls to hit his attacker (including all modifiers for AC) with either his weapon (at its normal chance to hit) or his shield (at a +2 bonus, as well as any magical bonuses). If the character hits, that one attack from his opponent is parried, whether or not it was successful. Thrown weapons can be parried; missile weapons cannot.
A character with a polearm can defend himself or other characters against the attacks of other polearms, as long as the polearm is within range of either the target or the attacker.
There may come a time when the character has to defend against melee attacks by using a solid missile weapon (such as a bow or staff sling, but not a regular sling). If successful, the missile weapon is ruined, but the character has at least saved himself from damage. Optionally, the DM might wish to allow the missile weapon a save vs. crushing blow.
Characters can use Parry #1 or #2 interchangeably. The difference is that #1 parries all attacks, while #2 focuses on one particular attack. Characters may use either as they see fit, although not in the same round.
Pin: The Pin maneuver, if performed correctly, traps the enemy's weapon against his body, a wall, or some other sort of obstruction, making it impossible for him to attack. If the Pm is successfully applied, the victim gets a chance to break free with a contest of Strength. If he fails, he remains pinned for the rest of the round. If he succeeds, he pulls his weapon free, and can use any attacks he has left in the round against the character attempting to pin him. In the next rounds, the victim can attempt to break free once per round, and these attempts do not count as attacks. If the victim wishes to try again, the attempt Joes count against his remaining attacks in the round.
Pull/Trip: As the name suggests, the Pull/Trip knocks the enemy sprawling if correctly executed. The attacker calls the attempt just prior to his attack roll, rather than before initiative, describing the maneuver so that the DM may rule on its feasibility. The attacker then rolls to hit. If successful, the target makes a Dex check. Failure indicates a fall. If the target was not moving, he gains a +6 on his roll. If he was moving and unaware of the attack, there is a —3 penalty to the Dex check. If target was moving and aware of attack, there is no modifier.
Polearms can extend the range of the Trip to the maximum length of the weapon. Pull/Trip attacks on animals are possible, but are at —6 to hit for creatures size L or larger.
Sap: When a PC wants to capture an enemy alive, he may try a Sap (knocking the enemy over the head) to knock the enemy unconscious. The attacker must announce intentions before initiative, taking a +1 initiative penalty, and suffering an additional —4 attack penalty, making the total —8. If the attack hits, the character rolls ordinary damage. Each point of damage is worth 5% chance of knockout, up to a maximum of a 40% chance of knockout. Only 25% of the damage inflicted is actual damage; the other 75% wears off in an hour or two.
Magic bonuses from magical weapons are not considered when such a weapon is used to Sap someone. Specialists do not gain the bonuses normally associated with their attacks. They are not using their weapons with the special skills they have learned. Any potential talent or magic they or the weapons might possess cannot be brought to bear in this situation.
The Sap can be performed only with melee weapons; a PC cannot knock someone out with a well-placed arrow. Also, a sap does not function against creatures larger than size M.
Shield-Punch: (+0 initiative, -0 attack) This maneuver is precisely what it sounds like: punching someone with a shield. There are no penalties to attacking with a shield; there are no bonuses. Since the PC is using the shield for an offensive (rather than defensive) purpose, no magical bonuses apply. A Shield-Punch does 1-3 points of damage plus the PC's Strength bonus.
The disadvantage to this trick is that the PC loses the shield's AC bonus until the next round, or when he gets another attack, whichever comes first. It can be used only with a buckler, small, or medium shield.
Shield-Rush: (+0 initiative, -0 attack) The ShieldRush is a combination of Trip and Shield-Punch. By rushing at full speed into an opponent, the PC hopes to knock the opponent from his feet. The move requires at least 10 feet of clear space for the attacker to gain some speed.
The attacker gains no bonuses from the shield to hit or to AC. Damage inflicted form a successful hit is 1-3 plus Strength bonuses. The target must make a Dex check to keep his feet, with the following modifiers:
+3  Target was moving toward the attacker
+3  Target was not moving
—3 Target was hit from behind
—3 Target was unaware of the attack
If the attacker misses his attack roll, he bounces off the target and must make a Dex check at a —6 penalty to avoid falling at his target's feet Even if the attack roll succeeds, the PC has a chance of falling. If he fails a Dex check (no penalties), he joins the target on the ground.
==Unarmed Combat==
This includes martial arts, punching, and wrestling, using the tables presented in the Player's Handbook and The Complete Fighter's Handbook. For more realistic combat, use the Martial Arts section later in the chapter.
Under the first, easier system, unarmed attackers facing armed defenders are at a special disadvantage. The defender gets a + 4 attack and damage bonus when attacked by an unarmed foe, reflecting the importance of weapons (as opposed to body parts) in parrying. As well, any armor the character is wearing can detract significantly from attack rolls.
There are no additional modifiers in these particular styles, although the PC might wish to specialize in one or the other (attacking unarmed or damage unarmed). If this is the case, each additional slot spent on proficiency allows the PC to gain an additional +1 to hit and damage, as well as one point of latitude either way on the punching/wrestling/martial arts charts.
Punch/Martial Arts: This is fairly straightforward combat using hands and feet. There are no significant modifiers for using these styles, although Strength and Dexterity bonuses apply. A specialist in Martial Arts gains an additional attack per combat round, assuming his or her hands are free.
Wrestle: Wrestlers have a chance to grapple their opponents any time they score a hold on the Wrestling Chart. If they manage to grapple their opponents, they continue to increase the damage by 1 point each round the hold is maintained. The hold can be broken only by a throw, a gouge, the assistance of another person, or successfully hitting the holder with a weapon.
Overbear: When the only advantage the attackers have is numbers, the most effective tactic is often to simply swarm the defender, to bring it down and pin it where it is at the mercy of the attackers. The modifiers are as follows: Size difference is +/—4 if the defender is smaller or larger, respectively. There is a —2 penalty for each leg the defender has beyond 2. Finally, each extra attacker gives a bonus of +1 to the attack roll. The attack roll uses the THAC0 of the weakest member; a successful attack means the character has been overborne. Further successful overbearing attacks each round pin the creature. The pin lasts until the attackers fail to make a successful Overbearing attack, or when the attacker breaks free of the pin (see "Pin" above).
==Barehanded Maneuvers==
Called Shots: Punching, Martial Arts, and Wrestling are all called shots and are described in the "Martial Arts" section later in the chapter.
Disarm: The Barehanded Disarm gives the unarmed gladiator even more disadvantages. First, his AC decreases by two places (for example, from 8 to 10) because he has to expose himself to reach for his enemy's weapon, and his attack roll is at an additional —4 (for a total of—8) to hit. If successful, he wrenches the weapon from his foe's grasp.
Grab: The Grab is a naturally a barehanded move, so suffers no additional penalty for an emptyhanded attacker.
Hold Attack: There is no penalty for a barehanded fighter to hold his attack.
Parry: The Barehanded Parry, like the Barehanded Disarm, penalizes the character with a —2 AC modifier, which lasts until the character's next attack. When carrying out the Parry, the fighter suffers an additional —2 attack penalty, because he must get close enough to get his hand in front of his enemy's weapon hand.
Pin: The Barehanded Pin against another barehanded character is more properly a Wrestling maneuver. When trying to pin a weapon, the character suffers the same penalties as under the Barehanded penalty (—2 AC until his next attack, and an additional —2 attack penalty).
Pull/Trip: A barehanded character cannot Pull/Trip any size Large or larger creature, but can try against other creatures with no penalty to his attack.
Sap: The Barehanded Sap follows exactly the same rules as the weapon-in-hand Sap, with the same chance for a knockout (5% per point of damage).
Shield Maneuvers: Because a barehanded character has by definition empty hands, he cannot perform these maneuvers.