Rules: Combat #3

The final post about combat covers modifiers, optional combat maneuvers, weapons and armor restrictions, and different fighting styles. Weapon damage in Dorms and Dragons is variable, with a chart listed in the combat section of the core rules. Tomorrow, a post about the magic system used in Dorms and Dragons and my email correspondences with fellow blogger and tinkerer Gavin Norman at The City of Iron. 

COMBAT MODIFIERS

Stunned/Prone - +4 to hit, no DEX or shield AC bonus

Sleeping – Can be struck for maximum damage with no to-hit roll

Back/Flank Attack - +2 to hit, no DEX or Shield AC bonus

Concealed- Obscured ¼ (+1 AC) ½ (+2 AC) ¾ (+3 AC) ^9/10 (+4 AC)

Covered- Physically shielded ¼ (+2 AC) ½ (+4 AC) ¾ (+7 AC) ^9/10 (+10 AC)

COMBAT MANEUVERS

Combat maneuvers are major actions that can replace a normal melee attack. Maneuvers are normal unmodified attacks that carry special effects. Bonuses to hit can be added for talents and training. There are four different combat maneuvers with effects for each:

Trip – On success, enemy is prone. One cannot trip an enemy with more than two legs, or that flies

Disarm – On success, an enemy’s weapon is thrown one position away, requiring a major action to retrieve

Sunder – With a -2 to hit, success damages a foe’s armor -1D3 AC. Foe must wear armor for damage and a proper weapon must be used

Feint – Used to move behind or past an enemy, allowing for a back attack next round, or to escape by running away. +1 vs. giant sized enemies.

SUBDUAL DAMAGE

Damage from a melee attack may be halved to deal subdual damage that incapacitates foes at 0 HP for 1d4 turns Unarmed attacks deal 1d2+STR subdual damage.

WEAPON RESTRICTIONS

Each class has restrictions on which weapons they can use effectively due to their training. Weapons unusable by a class incur a -3 penalty to hit.

WEAPON RULES

Two weapon fighting- With 13+ DEX, one can use two weapons. When a successful attack is made, damage can be re-rolled with the second weapon, the second being the final result. Two weapons fighting is modified by DEX to-hit and STR for damage.

Two handed weapon- Two handed weapons deal an additional +1 damage but ties for initiative are lost.

Sword & Board- Shield bearers can try and block damage once per round. When incoming damage is dealt, roll to block, if the defender’s roll is greater, than incoming damage, it is negated. Magical shields increase die size for blocking.

Long weapon – Characters wielding ling weapons are able to attack from the second rank, hit mounted fighters, and win ties for initiative

Blunt weapon – Blunt weapons strike at a +1 to-hit vs. armored opponents and skeletons and are capable of sunder 

Piercing weapon – On a critical hit, piercing weapons add 1d4 extra damage.

CALCULATING ARMOR CLASS

Every character has a base armor class of 10 before modifiers are added. To calculate one’s armor class (AC) start with base 10 then add modifiers for DEX, armor, and/or a shield, taking into account penalties from low DEX, and the max DEX bonus for medium and heavy armors. Magic items and spells that grant bonuses to AC do not stack, only incurring the benefit of the most effective item. So an amulet of protection +1 would not stack with a ring of protection +3 to grant +4 to AC, only the ring would count. 

ARMOR RESTRICTIONS 

Each class has certain armor restrictions, and armor that is unusable by the class costs double encumbrance and grants no bonus for DEX.

DAMAGED ARMOR

Armor damaged from sundering can be repaired back to perfection for half the armor’s base cost.