Difference between revisions of "House Rules"

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Parrying

In combat, characters parry and dodge aside from weapons, spells and worse all the time. If necessary, such parrying and dodging can be a focus of a character's actions during a round.

There are three forms or varieties of parrying:

1. Full-Round Parry

2. Individual Attack Parry

3. Limited Full-Round Parry (Spread Parry)

Regardless of what form of parry is chosen, there are certain rules to parrying that apply to all parries. Parries can only be applied to forward and logical flanking attacks; parrying can provide no protection against rear attacks. Parries can be applied to missile attacks, per the DM's approval. Parrying bonuses do not apply to any saving throws rolled. Weapon bonuses, whether from being well-crafted or magical, or from high strength or specialization, do not apply to parries. Parrying can improve an AC beyond -10. Regardless of the situation, saving throws involving parries never lack defense adjustment modifiers, if applicable.

1. Full-Round Parries

As described as an optional rule in the Player's Handbook, a full-round parry provides the maximum amount of protection a character can give himself during a given round. A full-round parry must be declared at the beginning of a round; although other forms of parrying are available mid-round, the benefits of a full-round parry can only be taken if announced at the beginning of a round.

If the character makes no other actions besides self-defense, a full-round parry is achieved. No other actions such as drinking potions is possible during this round. No matter how many attacks come his way, the character enjoys the armor class bonus throughout the round.

The benefit of a full-round parry is an AC bonus equal to half the character's level. A 5th level wizard for instance would gain an AC bonus of -2 for the round, for any fraction is ignored. A warrior gains a +1 to this bonus. A 6th level ranger, for example, would have an AC bonus of -4 throughout the round. Although fractions are ignored, regardless of the level, any given character always receives at least a -1 AC bonus during a full-round parry.

2. Individual Attack Parry

A character may decide that a full-round parry is not necessary, and may instead elect to parry in a more circumspect manner, which involves the sacrifice of at least one attack to be redirected as a parry against a single enemy attack.

Individual attack parries need not be announced at the beginning of the round. Instead, an individual attack parry must be announced before a single specific oncoming attack, and it must be announced before the roll for that specific attack is made. In making the announcement, the defender forfeits one remaining attack he has for the round.

When an individual attack parry is utilized, the full parry bonus for that character applies to the defender's armor class against that specific attack only.

Example: Kharn, a 13th level gladiator, is fighting Ktandeo, an 18th level gladiator. Both characters are specialized, and therefore have two or three attacks each round. In the course of a round in which both characters have three attacks and Kharn has the initiative, Ktandeo is critically hit with a 20 by Kharn's first attack, and thereafter only has one hit point remaining. As Kharn is about to make his second attack, Ktandeo electss to parry that specific attack, deciding that he must protect himself. The DM rolls Kharn's attack roll. Kharn rolls well, and normally would have hit, but since Ktandeo is parrying the attack and has thereby lowered his AC by -10, Kharn fails to successfully hit Ktandeo with that attack. Normally, Ktandeo would immediately follow Kharn's attack with his own second attack for the round, but since Ktandeo has just sacrificed an attack for a parry, Kharn may immediately follow and take his third attack for the round. Once again, before the DM rolls for Kharn's attack, Ktandeo's player decides to defend with an individual attack parry by sacrificing his third attack, and thereby again improves Ktandeo's AC by -10. Luckily for Ktandeo, Kharn rolls a 1 and then a 10%, achieving a catastrophic fumble, taking him out of combat for the rest of the round and the following round as well. Seeing his chance, Ktandeo attacks Kharn next round with two attacks while Kharn fumbles. Ktandeo rolls a 20 for a critical hit on his first attack, and thus slays his rival.

Dual-Wielding and Parrying

Dual-wielding theoretically can give a character a significant advantage if he is using an individual attack parry. For example, a character could wield a short sword in his off hand and always dedicate that weapon's attack as an individual attack parry. This would seem to give a dual-wielder a significant advantage in any individual attack parry strategy, and although this can theoretically be true, there are certain disadvantages as well.

Any parry from a dual-wielder is still subject to the -2 primary hand and -4 off-hand penalties for dual-wielding, which also applies to any AC bonus gained through parrying. In the example above, in which Ktandeo fights Kharn, were Ktandeo to attempt to gain an extra attack or parry by dual-wielding, Ktandeo's parrying AC bonus would weaken from -10, to -8 with his primary hand weapon and -6 to his off-hand weapon.

Reaction adjustments from very high (or very low) dexterity can mitigate or modify the -2/-4 penalty. For example, a character with an 18 dexterity has a reaction adjustment bonus of +2, which would lower the penalty to the off-hand weapon parry to -2 and negate the primary hand weapon parry penalty altogether. However, such dexterous parrying displays while dual-wielding detracts from the character's general defense adjustment, as he is focusing a great deal of his attention on manipulating his weapons rather than his entire body. This detraction is calculated by subtracting the reaction adjustment value from the character's defensive adjustment. A character with an 18 dexterity has a reaction adjustment of +2 and a defensive adjustment bonus of -4. Thus, while dual-wield parrying, a character with an 18 dexterity would only have an AC defensive adjustment bonus of -2. These penalties will apply only to the current attack being aimed at the parrying character.

Example: Zvain the Cruel is 16th level drow elf fighter with a 19 dexterity. Aside from his dexterity, Zvain's only other defensive adjustments are due to his drow elfin chain +5, which provides him with an AC of 0. With his dexterity's defensive adjustment, Zvain's total AC would normally be -4. Zvain normally wields a long sword (with which he is specialized) in his primary hand and a short sword in his off-hand. He thus receives the standard -2/-4 penalties to dual-wielding, but these penalties are nearly negated by his +3 reaction adjustment, which leaves him with only a -1 penalty to his off-hand short sword.

Zvain finds himself in a duel with Ktandeo. He decides that he wishes to use his single off-hand short sword attack per round as an individual attack parry against one of Ktandeo's ferocious blows. At 16th level, Zvain's normal parry AC bonus would be -9 (half his level rounded down, +1 for being a warrior). However, Zvain's penalties for dual-wielding are not completely negated for his off-hand weapon, and so Zvain's parry bonus with the off-hand short sword weakens by one, reducing his parry AC bonus to -8. Furthermore, Zvain is so concentrated upon defending himself from Ktandeo with his short sword that the drow is slightly slower with his footwork than usual. With his reaction adjustment of +3 and his defensive adjustment bonus of -4, the sum of his defensive adjustment is only a -1 bonus. Therefore, in the instance of this specific single attack parry and the next attack upon him, Zvain's AC is temporarily lowered to AC -1 due to his distracted dexterity, but with the parry AC bonus of -8, Zvain's final calculated AC for the single attack parry is -9.

Note: In the case of extreme dexterity, such as a 24 dexterity, the defensive adjustment is only detracted by the full value of the reaction adjustment if all the reaction adjustment is utilized in negating the penalties for the weapon hand being used in the parry, which will not usually be the case. For example, a 24 dexterity provides a +5 reaction adjustment and -6 defensive adjustment. If wielding a long sword and a short sword in the primary hand and off-hand respectively, the penalties to hit are only -2/-4. In this scenario, resolving an off-hand individual attack parry would be calculated by taking from the reaction adjustment only +4 of the +5, as +4 would completely negate the -4 penalty. Thus, only the +4 would be summed with the defensive adjustment bonus of -6. The godly dexterity of such a character would therefore not only completely negate any off-hand penalties to the parry, but would also leave the character with an overall defensive adjustment bonus of -2 during the individual attack parry. Now if the same character were wielding two medium-sized weapons, such as two scimitars, the primary/off-hand to hit penalties are -4/-6. If using the off-hand scimitar, the entire +5 reaction adjustment would not be enough to negate the penalty, and thus the final calculated AC for the single attack parry would be calculated in the same manner that Zvain's was calculated above.

Shields and Parrying

Naturally, shields are generally far better for dual-wield parrying than off-hand weapons. They are even better for parrying if one has proficiency or specialization in the weapon and shield style (these proficiencies/skills are sublimated into the same proficiency).

Shield-punching is not possible if one is wielding the shield in the off-hand weapon and chooses to parry with it.

If the shield is used in a single attack parry, the normal -2/-4 penalties apply. In the case of weapon and shield style specialization, the penalty is lightened to -2/-3.

Example: Brett the Bold is a 7th level fighter with a 16 dexterity (+1 reaction adjustment, -2 defensive adjustment). Finding himself in an unfortunate duel with Zvain the Cruel, Brett elects to use his shield in a single attack parry. Brett bears full plate mail and his shield as armor, which coupled with his dexterity, normally gives him an AC -2. By electing to give himself a -2 penalty to hit with his long sword throughout the round, Brett can use his shield as a single attack parry. Announcing that he will parry the first of Zvain's blows with his shield, Brett only has a -1 penalty to his shield parry after taking into account his reaction adjustment. After calculation, Brett enjoys a -3 parry AC bonus against Zvain's first attack (half his levels, rounded down, +1 for warrior, -1 for "dual-wielding" his shield). This betters Brett's AC against Zvain's first attack to AC -5, but since he is concentrating on a dexterous use of his shield, his defensive adjustment temporarily weakens to a -1 bonus, leaving Brett with a final calculated parrying AC of -4 (+1 reaction adjustment, summed with his -2 defensive adjustment, leaves him with an defensive bonus of -1 instead of -2). Due to his +1 reaction adjustment, Brett's two long sword attacks per round only receive a -1 to hit, instead of the -2 penalty.

For those proficient in the Weapon and Shield Fighting Style, when single attack parrying, the penalty for "dual-wielding" the shield for parrying purposes is reduced from -2 to -1.

If one specializes in the Weapon and Shield Fighting Style, when single attack parrying, the penalty to hit with the primary hand weapon is reduced from -2 to -1. The shield-master receives a general +1 bonus to AC due to his great skill with the shield.

3. Limited Full-Round Parry

Sometimes a character may be faced with multiple attacks from multiple opponents, and may desire as his strategy to improve his armor class throughout the round with a limited or partial parry. He can do this by sacrificing at least one of his attacks. This is also called a "spread" parry. The benefit of this method of parrying is that individual enemy attacks need not be singled out for an individual parry, and that rather a bonus to AC is enjoyed against any number of attacks endured during a given round, while still allowing at least one other attack.

To make a limited full-round parry, the character in question must declare his intent to do so, and must declare before any pertinent attack rolls from his assailants are made. The parrying character must also decide which and how many of his attacks are going to be sacrificed. This is usually done at the end of the round.

The improvement in AC is gained by much in the same way as described under "Individual Attack Parry". The AC bonus for the attack(s) being sacrificed is assessed (a shield is almost always a far better "attack" to sacrifice than a standard weapon). The bonuses for the attacks being sacrificed are averaged, rounded down. Once that number is attained it is factored by the fraction of attacks sacrificed over the total number of attacks the character possesses. The resulting number, rounded down, is the bonus AC enjoyed by the character.

Example: Khant the Cynic is a 30th level fighter. He wears dragon hide armor giving him an AC -4, and possesses a magical shield +5, thus giving him an AC of -10. Khant is about to fight the Chromatic Dragon, and so quaffs a potion of speed before he engages. Specialized in the bastard sword, Khant usually enjoys 5/2 attacks +1 attack (his shield) per round, and thus normally has at any given round three or four attacks. With the potion, his attacks double, to either six or eight attacks per round. Feeling confident, Khant the Cynic faces Tiamat, deciding to sacrifice one half his attacks any given round during the combat, so as to increase his overall armor class during the battle.

Khant's normal parry bonus would be -16, but dual-wielding and without a dexterous reaction adjustment, his bastard sword parry bonus reduces to -14. With his shield, there is only a -1 penalty for dual-wielding, because Khant has a proficiency slot dedicated to "shield". This leaves him with a -15 AC parrying bonus with the shield. The average of -14 and -15 is -14 (rounded down). Since half of Khant's attacks are sacrificed during any given round of his combat with Tiamat, this provides the fraction which is used to factor Khant's parry bonus:

-14/1 x 1/2 = -7

By sacrificing half his attacks any given round, Khant enjoys a -7 bonus to his AC, giving him an effective AC -17. Unfortunately, the DM determines Tiamat's calculated THAC0 is -10. Khant the Cynic may have made a mistake...

Spread parrying does not guarantee a parrying bonus of at least -1; if the penalties and averaging actually worsen a character's armor class, then the AC is worsened. Only truly skilled and powerful characters generally profit from this method of parrying.

Fighting Styles and Specialization

In order to reserve weapon proficiency slots for proficiency in actual weapons or fighting styles such as wrestling, punching and exploring unarmed martial arts, and so as to streamline warrior skills and not create de facto "mandatory" weapon style proficiencies in order to compete with their peers, the purchasing of fighting style specialization with the expenditure of slots is not required, save for the exceptions listed below. Instead, fighting style specialization is acquired by simply specializing in a given weapon, at which time the warrior in question is specialized in that style, but only with that weapon. Rarely, such as is the case in certain ninja kits, non-warriors may gain style specialization.

Style specialization in no way counts against a warrior's choice of weapon specialization, which is separate matter. A multi-class warrior may also specialize in a fighting style, but only a single class warrior may specialize in multiple combat styles. In the both cases, a weapon proficiency slot is required to gain that skill.

One-Handed Weapon Style Specialization

With no shield in hand, the warrior focuses all his attention he might have spent on the other hand to the fight at large. As a result, he enjoys a +1 bonus to his AC.

Enhanced Specialization: A warrior may expend a maximum of one slot on enhancing his skill with a one-handed weapon style for his weapon, which results in granting him a further +1 bonus to his AC.

Two-Handed Weapon Style Specialization

The warrior has learned to use his large weapon's weight and size to great advantage. If the circumstances allow, a weapon's speed is bettered by 3 points, and an additional +1 to damage rolls is accrued. Speed and damage bonuses will not always be gained however, due to the circumstances of any given fight. For example, a two-handed long spear, if used in a tight formation and set for charge, has little opportunity for any speed bonus, but the damage bonus may be added due to the specialized wielder knowing how to best harness the great mass and heft of the weapon against a charging foe.

Bonus Sub-Dual Attack with a Two-Handed Weapon: If the situation allows, a two-handed weapon specialist may also attempt a bonus sub-dual attack with an alternate portion of some large weapons. Two-handed swords and axes, for example, generally may be used in this manner, but awl pikes most often will not. To make a bonus sub-dual attack with a two-handed weapon, a warrior at the beginning of a round declares he is "dual-wielding" in order to sub-dual with his two-handed weapon. He receives a -2 penalty to attack for all his normal attacks with the weapon that round, but when his sub-dual attack comes in order of initiative (the speed is always that of the weapon's), he may make his bonus sub-dual attack at a -4 penalty to hit (modified by his reaction adjustment). If such a bonus sub-dual attack is successful, the damage is that of the flat weapon damage (strength, specialization, magic bonuses, are not accrued), divided by half, rounded down. Furthermore, the weapon damage is 3/4 temporary. If a normal opponent is reduced to 0 hit points with such an attack, the opponent immediately falls unconscious for 1d10 rounds. Certain rarer two-handed weapons already have special bonus sub-dual attack forms and rules. See the DM for specific rules on these weapons.

Bonus Parry with a Two-Handed Weapon: Instead of utilizing a bonus sub-dual attack, a two-handed weapon specialist may "sacrifice" his sub-dual attack and covert it to a parry attack, as described above. To do this, all normal rules for dual-wielding apply (such as the -2 penalty to hit with the primary attacks), as if the two-handed weapon wielder were actually wielding two weapons.

Weapon and Shield Fighting Style Proficiency and Specialization

Weapon and Shield Fighting Style may be pursued by any class of character allowed to use the shield (all warriors, clerics, druids, bards and psionicists). Any of these character classes may become proficient in this fighting style, but only warriors may specialize in this fighting style.

Shield Proficiency: Any character class normally able to use the shield (listed below) is considered proficient in shield use (no slots required). If proficient, shields offer the following advantages:

buckler: armor class 1 against one opponent attacking the side the shield is placed upon; speed 2, 1d2 damage (sub-dual rules), 3 lbs., 1 g.p.

small shield: armor class 2 against two enemies either facing the shield bearer or on his shield flank; speed 2, 1d2 damage, 5 lbs., 3 g.p.

medium shield: armor class 3 against three enemies facing the shield bearer or on his shield flank; speed 6, 1d3 damage, 7 lbs., 7 g.p.

large shield: armor class 4 against all enemies facing the shield bearer or on his shield flank; speed 7, 1d4 damage, 15 lbs., 10 g.p.

body shield: armor class 5 against all enemies facing the shield bearer or on his shield flank; speed 8, 1d6 damage, 20 lbs., 15 g.p.

Shield-Punch: The character may shield-punch without weapon unfamiliarity penalties. Attacking with a shield causes damage as listed above (plus strength but not magic modifiers), but he loses all defensive modifiers gained by the shield for the rest of round when doing so.

Shield-Rush: As per PO:C&T. Must have ten feet to run to utilize. A strength contest is used to see if the opponent is knocked prone, necessitating a combat action to stand again. If the rusher fails his strength check, he too falls and is prone. After a shield-rush is used in an attack, the shield provides no other defensive bonuses for that round.

Shield Wall: Units trained or otherwise certified by the DM as capable may form shield walls by drawing up in tight formations. Depending on circumstances, leadership or miscellaneous unit capability rolls may be required, especially if morale is in question or there are other significant challenges. If successfully employed, the AC of the unit collectively betters by one point, and increases its missile defensive capabilities by one category. Generally speaking, only piercing weapons may be employed by soldiers in such a formation, although if the DM rules it is possible to do sowithout breaking the formation, slashing and bludgeoning weapons may be used, but at a -2 penalty to hit. Units so organized may only move at half speed. Very long piercing weapons may be employed at ranks of up to three deep, but the second and third ranks suffer -2 penalties to hit.

Shield Specialization: Unlike other style specializations, the weapon and shield fighting style costs one proficiency slot. The weapon and shield fighting style may be pursued by any class of character allowed to use the shield (all warriors, clerics, druids, bards and psionicists) With specialization, the character enjoys all the normal benefits of specialization with a weapon: +1 to hit and +2 to damage, and extra multiple attacks per round, if the character is for some reason wielding the shield in his primary hand. With specialization in this fighting style, the penalty for dual-wielding with the shield for the primary hand weapon decreases from -2 to -1, and with the shield from -4 to -3 for sub-dual attacks. Furthermore, specialization gains the warrior a -1 AC bonus to when using a shield, but he loses this bonus if making sub-dual attacks. When making attacks with a shield, a shield specialist's defenses due to the shield are not totally lost, and he still maintains 1 point of AC advantage for the remainder of the round.

When using the shield as a weapon to cause damage, once the shield is used to attack, successfully or not, any AC bonus provided by the shield is no longer applicable for the remainder of the round.

Two Weapon Style

Experience has shown that two weapon style has been too often abused, and this is because it has been unrealistically adapted to the rules. With new emphasis placed on the efficacy of the shield, the effect of not utilizing a shield, especially at lower levels of play, will surely be felt. Nonetheless, two weapon fighting is certainly possible.

Two Weapon Fighting: The standard penalties of -2 to the primary hand and -4 to the secondary hand for one small and one medium weapon, as the described in the Player's Handbook, still apply. Dual-wielding twin short swords, hand axes and similar (S) weapons are penalized at -3/-4. Dual-wielding (M) weapons are at -4/-6. Rangers can used twin weapons of any size, but suffer the penalties listed above with a +2/+4 bonus, with reaction adjustments included.

Two Weapon Style Specialization: By spending a maximum of one weapon slot, a character may reduce his -2/-4 primary and off-hand weapon to hit penalties by 1, making them -1/-3. No further benefits are gained. Rangers who take this slot may reduce their penalties for unwieldy twin or other medium weapons, as listed above, by 1. For example, a ranger with a minimum dexterity of 13 (no reaction adjustments) wielding twin long swords would normally suffer a -2/-2 to his primary and secondary hand weapon respectively. By expending a slot to specialize in two weapon style, these penalties may be reduced to -1/-1 for the ranger.

Ranger Dual-Wielding Fighting Style Specialization: Ranger Dual-Wield Defensive Bonus

Rangers are far superior in dual-wielding than any other character class while wearing light armor (studded leather, leather, elfin chain, and the like). Although not able to actually specialize in weapons, rangers do "specialize" in dual-wielding weapons. To reflect this, rangers reserve the option to improve their armor class by parrying in a ranger dual-wield defensive bonus, throughout a round while still attacking, and without sacrificing any attacks, very similarly described in the Player's Handbook as a full round parry. In order to do this, at the beginning of a round, a ranger character sacrifices points in THAC0 equal to the number of points in armor class by which he improves. This reflects the ranger's focus on defending himself, over attacking. In order to utilize the ranger dual-wield defensive bonus, two actual weapons, such as a long sword and a knife, must be used, and he must be proficient or at least familiar with both (see rules on familiarity). A ranger's fist will not suffice for the off-hand weapon.

For example, a 7th level ranger with a THAC0 of 14 with a standard AC of 5 (studded leather, Dexterity 16) wishes to maximize his AC in combat without sacrificing attacks during a dangerous encounter. In order to do this, we utilize the rules in the PH and divide his level in half (rounded down) and add 1, resulting in a 4. Utilizing the entirety of this dual-wielding defensive bonus, the ranger thus gains an acting AC of 1, but likewise worsens his THAC0 to 18. If the ranger in question does not desire his maximum dual-wield defensive bonus, he may draw down the bonus as much as he see fits. For instance, in the example above, the ranger may only improve his acting AC by 2 points instead of 4, in which case his acting AC would be a 3, but his THAC0 would only worsen to a 16.

Of course, it is still open to a ranger to conduct a full round parry, as defined in the Player's Handbook, instead of, but not in addition to, the ranger dual-wield defensive bonus described above. Rangers may further augment their dual-wielding defensive bonus by sacrificing attacks as per the advanced parry rules described above.

Combat Rules

Weapon Type vs. Armor Type Modification Table

Weapon Type vs. Armor Modifier Table.

Table 52 (list right) lists the combat "to hit" modifiers listed in the PH. All "plus" modifiers are added to the attacker's THAC0, while all "minus" modifiers are subtracted from the attacker's THAC0. For example, bludgeoning weapons gain a +2 bonus when attacking an opponent wearing chain mail.

Monster Armor Type Equivalencies

Dragon Hide: scale mail

Lion Skin: leather mail

Human Skin: no modifiers

Thri-Kreen Chiton: +2 to slashing, + 1 to piercing

Shield Rules

As is noted in Player's Option: Combat and Tactics and elsewhere, shields are undervalued in normal AD&D combat rules, a contradiction that is obvious when one sees historical fighting reenactments in which the shield invariably plays a very large roll in combat. In order to account for this discrepancy, the defensive capabilities of shields have been significantly augmented.

Shields Used in Melee Combat

If properly trained, characters may gain better defensive capabilities than that listed in the Player's Handbook. Warriors benefit the most from this augmentation, for warriors are considered proficient in the basic use of all these shield types. Standard PH clerics, similar specialty clerics, and crusaders, are also considered proficient in all such shields. All rogues are proficient in the use of shields up to medium shields. Psionicists may use up to small shields. Wizards do not normally use shields, but if they do, they only gain the PH bonus of +1 to their AC in melee combat. Certain kits and rarer sub-classes may alter this list of proficiency in shields.

Buckler: -1 (Warriors, Crusaders, Clerics, Druids, Rogues, Psionicists)

Small Shield: -2 (Warriors, Crusaders, Clerics, Druids, Rogues, Psionicists)

Medium Shield: -3 (Warriors, Crusaders, Clerics, Druids, Rogues)

Large Shield: -4 (Warriors, Crusaders, Clerics) Note: only piercing weapons can be used in conjunction with this shield, all other weapons endure a -1 penalty to hit, and lower the AC effectiveness of the shield by -3. Dexterity bonuses to AC are worsened by 1 point.

Body Shield: -5 (Warriors, Crusaders, Clerics) Note: this shield is not readily designed for melee combat, piercing weapons receive a -1 penalty to hit while this shield is equipped, and other weapons receive a -2 penalty to hit, and lower the AC effectiveness by 1. Dexterity bonuses to AC are worsened by 2 points.

At the DM's option, certain characters may not have proficiency in shield types due to their culture of origins. For example, aboriginal warriors will generally be unfamiliar with the tactics and proficiencies used in properly employing large shields. 0th level soldiers will be proficient in the shields in which they have been trained.

Due to methods, materials and quality of construction, size alone does not dictate a shield's defensive capabilities. The DM may for example rule that the wicker shields of ancient Persians, although the size of body shields, is far weaker against melee weapons, and perhaps may offer a bonus of only 3 instead of 5 to AC.

Shields in Use as Missile Cover

Shields are excellent providers of missile coverage when being used to parry missiles. The AC bonus gained depends on the shield type being used:

Buckler: -2

Small Shield: -4

Medium Shield: -6

Large Shield: -8

Body Shield: -10

Plate Armor Rules

All plate-type armors, including those with ridged plates that are considered by the DM to inhibit movement, lessen the defensive adjustment awarded to those with high dexterity scores. These include plate mail, field plate and splint mail. Defensive adjustment modifiers are divided by half, rounded down. For example, Normont the Wronged has a 15 dexterity, which would normally grant him a -1 defensive adjustment bonus to his armor class. However, Normont is currently wearing splint mail, and as it has large inflexible plates as part of its make-up, Normont's defensive adjustment modifier is divided in half, rounded down. Therefore, while he wears this armor, Normont receives no defensive adjustment. In the case of full plate armor, any defensive adjustment modifiers receive an extra -1 penalty after the modified defensive adjustment has been calculated, unless the armor has been very specifically made or modified for the character wearing it. Thus, even the Golmad Raveneye has an 18 dexterity, while in full plate not precisely modified to his body, his modified defensive adjustment is only a -1 bonus. None of these negative modifiers can result in actual penalties to armor class.

Combat Fatigue, Exhaustion and Death March Rules

The combat fatigue rules are principally based upon those presented in Combat and Tactics, but with several modifications, especially a modification of the character class fatigue points.

Before calculations for combat endurance are made, it must be emphasized that both players and the DM must keep the encumbrance calculations both PCs and NPCs precise, and ensure that a precise calculation has been ascertained before combat begins. The categories for encumbrance as listed in Table 47 of the PH, unencumbered, light, moderate, heavy, and severe, each have their own penalties in combat.

Table 47: Character Encumbrance. This table is used to calculate penalties to THAC0 and AC for heavily encumbered characters.

Table 48: Modified Movement Rates. Use this table to calculate exact movement rate of characters based on the amount of weight they carry. If characters are fatigued, exhausted, or on death march, and their mobility is reduce by one category or more, calculate any further weight added by adding it to the minimum amount of weight required to be at the current movement rate.

Fatigue

Fatigue points, defined as the standard number of rounds a PC can fight before he is fatigued and begins to suffer combat penalties, is calculated by starting from the base of 10, and adding the sum of the average of strength and constitution (rounded down), plus half the number of levels a character has achieved, or the total number of levels a character has achieved if the character is a warrior or crusader, minus the base AC value of any armor or shield that is equipped (ignore well-crafted bonuses, and subtract magical bonuses). For example, Theobald the Faithful is a 14th level crusader with a strength of 17 and a constitution of 16, wearing plate mail armor and using a medium shield. Starting with his base value of 10, 10 points are subtracted due the total AC value of 10 from the plate mail (7) and medium shield (3), thus leaving the number of fatigue points gained at 0. Next, calculate the average of his strength and constitution, which is 16 (17+16=33, 33/2=16, rounded down). As he has no fatigue points due to the weight of his heavy armor and shield, and his level is 14, Theobald the Faithful has 30 fatigue points (0+16+14=30).

As stated above, before combat as entered into, a character's degree of encumbrance must be calculated. For example: Theobald the Faithful wears heavy armor with light gear, but due to his strength he usually has an encumbrance category of light, carrying 100 lbs., with a movement rate of 10 (see PH, Table 48). However, Theobald has recently acquired treasure and is weighed down with 250 gold coins, or 25 lbs. After assessing their weight, the player adjusts Theobald's encumbrance category to moderate due his carried total of 125 lbs., which according to the PH penalizes him with -1 to his attack roll, and as per Table 48, with a movement rate of 9.

His spells already exhausted, Theobald enters into prolonged combat against a dragon and its allies, never resting a single round from melee combat for 3 turns (30 rounds). Not wishing to lose them throughout the combat, Theobald also does not drop his bag of coins before the fight begins, remaining moderately encumbered, and fighting at a -1 to hit. Upon reaching the 31st round of combat, and still unable or unwilling to rest from melee combat, Theobald is fatigued and automatically drops from moderate encumbrance to the effects of heavy encumbrance, thereby dropping his to hit penalty to -2, worsening his AC by 1 point, and dropping his movement rate to 4 (p. 79, PH). Theobald may yet still keep fighting, but the DM reminds the player that exhaustion points must now be tracked.

Exhaustion

Exhaustion points are calculated in exactly the same way as fatigue points. The difference is that for each further round of combat, 2 exhaustion points are expended instead of 1. Once all the exhaustion points are expended, the character is exhausted, dropping him another level of encumbrance. For example:

Theobald the Faithful, already fatigued, has been beset by yet another wave of foes and is now entering his 46th round of combat. At this point, all 30 of his exhaustion points have been expended, and Theobald is now exhausted. He drops from heavy encumbrance to severe. Theobald's movement rate is now a 1, and he has a total of -4 to hit, and a -3 to his AC.

Death March

Once a character is exhausted, he may continue to fight, but now proceeds to track death march points. These are calculated in the same way as before, but now 3 points are subtracted every round, rounded down. Once all a character's death march points have been expended, a character drops to the next lower level of encumbrance. Every round thereafter, characters must roll a PPDM saving throw, penalized by the total base AC value of the armor being worn, but accruing any bonuses equal to his bonus hit points due to constitution. The character may continue to fight indefinitely as long as the saving throw is made at the beginning of each round, but once the character fails his saving throw, he immediately blacks out for 1d10 rounds.

Example: Theobald the Faithful is in the greatest battle of his life. Exhausted on his 47th round of combat, he finds a +4 medium shield on the battlefield, drops his gold coins, and fights on. Relieving himself of weight, he returns from severe to heavy encumbrance, and recalculates his death march points due to his magical shield. He gains an extra 3 points (10, -7 for plate mail, no med. shield penalties due to its +4 bonus = 3), giving him 33 death march points. With 3 points being lost each round, Theobald fights for another ten rounds. At last, upon his 55th round of uninterrupted melee combat, Theobald is all but completely spent, his mighty endurance almost at its end: he is at the black out phase. His vision begins to tunnel as he fights with the very last of his strength. Theobald drops back down to severe encumbrance, and rolls his modified PPDM saving throw. At 14th level, his PPDM base save is 5. Theobald has a -2 bonus due to his high constitution, but due to his heavy unmagical plate mail, he has a +7 penalty. Therefore, altogether, he must at the beginning of the round roll a 10 or above to keep fighting. He rolls an 11. However, on the next round, he rolls a 9, and therefore at the beginning of the round he blacks out, falling prone onto the ground for 1d10 rounds. Hopefully his companions will win the day and save brave Theobald from death.

A character may emerge from an initial black out with the dedicated full-round efforts of another character, and if the character in question makes a PPDM save modified only by his constitution hit point adjustment. If this full round effort is made by another character, and a successful saving throw is rolled, the character may rise early from his black out, but at the very least the PC blacks out for one round. Characters who black out from this kind of exhaustion and recover are considered fatigued as if by force marching (see PH, Chapter 14: Time and Movement, under Cross-Country Movement).

Forced March Fatigue, Exhaustion, Death March and Continued Black Outs

A hero of legend fights until the end!

After awakening from a black out, a character may fight on once more, recovering one category of fatigue for every full round he was unconscious as long as an unmodified PPDM saving throw is made for each category, up to a maximum of normal fatigue. Even though he awakens at best fatigued, the character begins to accrue fatigue or exhaustion points (which ever he recovered to), but at double the rate, with fatigue points being expected at the rate of 2 a round, exhaustion points at 4 a round, and death march points at 6 per round. This doubling can only be mitigated by a full day of complete rest for every category of fatigue to which he has fallen. The same rules as described above apply to all these steps. Once all the death march points are used up and he has returned to black out phase, he rolls the same saving throw in the same manner as before, but if he fails a second time, he instead blacks out for 3d10 rounds, and cannot be awakened save by magic or other extraordinary actions (psionics, divine intervention, and other special circumstances). Upon blacking out a second time, he must also make a system shock roll or die. If the character wakes up from his black out, he is considered exhausted as per the rules above, fights with an additional -2 to attack, -2 to AC, -2 to MAC, -2 to saving throws, and is incapable of casting spells above 2nd level or employing psionic sciences. He can recover only by complete rest, with no movement, for at least 24 hours. While in this state of extreme exhaustion, he can no longer recover fatigue points as detailed below until he rests for the entire 24 period.

In the extreme occasion of such a character having to fight again without the required 24 hours of absolute rest, he can fight as long as he has exhaustion and death march points, but these are expended at the rate of 8 and 12 a round respectively, and cannot be recovered. Blacking out a third time will result in 24 hours of unconsciousness, a system shock roll made at the next lower point of constitution, followed by death march status until he gains from 1d6 days of required total rest, after which he is exhausted for another 1d4 days of complete rest, and fatigued for another 1d3 days of complete rest after that. These rolls may be modified for bonus hit points due to constitution measured at the value of one day per hit point, but at least one day is required for each step until he reaches full recovery. Any activity beyond complete rests causes the character's recovery to halt completely.

Recovery and Respite from Fatigue, Exhaustion and Death March

Unless a black out has occurred, a fatigued, exhausted or even death march character may recover by resting for an entire round, during which does nothing but recover his strength. Upon the end of each round resting, he can recover a full category of fatigue, but only if he successfully makes a saving throw vs. paralyzation, modified by any hit point bonus he has due to constitution. For every consecutive round he rests, he gains a cumulative +1 bonus to his saving throw. Upon the recovery of a category of fatigue, that entirety of that category's points are recovered.

If a character has blacked out recently without the necessary days of recovery, he can no longer recover any fatigue points.

Light action such as non-melee spellcasting or psionics, rogue skills, or otherwise being actively employed but not fighting, regenerates the return of 1 fatigue point, or if it is a moderate action such as a light run or crossbow reloading, then at least no fatigue points are expended. A character who has blacked out once may do the same, but no fatigue points or regenerated, and in the case of moderate actions, then one fatigue point is spent.

Example: Theobald the Faithful has blacked out for three rounds after 55 rounds of sustained combat, but his ally Niomas the Holy has spent the third round splashing water upon Theobald's face and sitting him up. Theobald, having successfully made all three PPDM saving throws for each category of fatigue he had accrued, rises again and ready to fight, with his full 33 fatigue points. He is still fatigued, and since his encumbrance level is still light, it is instead considered moderate, reducing his attack roll to -1 and his movement rate to 9. He fights for 16 more rounds, at which point he falls into his 33 exhaustion points, during which he is still considered fatigued. Coming up upon his 32nd round of continuous fighting since his black out, Theobald stops fighting and stays in the rear as his companions hold the front line. Although he is resting for one round, since he has blacked out he recovers no fatigue points, but he does not lose any either. Niomas the Holy casts several healing spells, but at this point the tide of the battle has turned. Thereon the Unyielding, the party's paladin casts dispel fatigue on Theobald. The 1st level spell is too weak to cause Theobald to recover completely, but although still fatigued, all his exhaustion and fatigue points are recharged, and he is able to fight again.