TSR 2110 PHBR1 The Complete Fighter's Handbook

If you hit, you must a ain of the player-characters’ cul- successful hit, the victim loses 4
ture. ctive Strength for
1make your Strength abi ity
If it is not,a PC need only train pouirnptosseOsf of reaking free of the
check. If he wins it, he takes Id4 with someone who has profi-
damage from the impact of Ithe ciency with the weapon (and the inet. If th victim wins a
lasso around his neck going t ut PC must have a free weapon
proficiencyslot)in orderto learn Strength ab’lity check against
.. . but the lasso is still yan ed how to make and use the lasso. his captor efore his Strength
drops to 0, e breaks free (and
from your hand, doing l d to Net his Strengt is normal for all
you, and he can ride off. If ou The gladia- other purpo*s). If he fails, and
his Strengthlis brought down to
1win it, he takes 2d6 dam ge tors’ net consistsof a small (8’ to
12’ diameter) circular net with enmeshed in
from the impact, another ld3 weights around the edge and a When a gl4diator throws a net
from hitting the ground, and trailing rope used for control. and misses, ‘it is open and un-
he’s dismounted. If you both Customarily,it is folded in such
make it by an equal amount, he a manner that it will twirl open quent roll tq hit with the un-
takes ld4, is dismounted qnd when thrown; the gladiator folded net is bt a -3 to hit.
takes an additional ld3, and throws it with one hand, keep-
you take ld2 from the lasso be- ing a grip on the trailing rope erly-foldednet, an
ing yanked out of your ha ds. with the other. perform Disarm,
maneuvers. Once
3(If, in this example, you’ve ad If the gladiator makes his roll
to hit, he has a Pin maneuver on such attacks
time to tie the other end of ypur his target (see the rules for Pin are at a -3 tb hit.
lasso to an absolutely station* maneuver from the Combat
object, your target still gets his Rules chapter). All the notes on Weapon pltoficiency with the
roll. On a 1,the rope breaks qnd Pin apply here, except one: the net also givd you the ability to
he takes ld4 damage. Otljer- netted character may not make
wise, he’s automatically gis- any sort of attack on the netter Weapon
mounted and takes ad6 until he’s won a Strength ability
damage. check and thrown that net off. net doing nd damage), you get

Such a maneuver,hard as iit is On the round after the gladia- that + 2 as la bonus to your
to set up, could easily break tor has netted his opponent, he n you’re making
someone’s neck, killing him in- has a choice of what he wants to checks against
stantly.) do.
netted prey.
In the chart above, the la so He can hold onto the trailing Cultures With gladiatorial
rope with his off-hand (in order
!was listed as a large weapon e- to maintainthe Pin), pull out an- combat do dxport such weap-
other weapon with his free of their
cause of the amount of spac$ it hand, and attack his prey with
takes to twirl and wield it. that weapon. Eventually, his warrior kit,
prey will probably win a
You cannotperform a Parry or Strength ability check and Hunting nbnweapon profi-
Disarm with the lasso, or us$ it shrug that net off; in the mean- y good rationale
as a melee weapon for Pin-o@ly time, the gladiator may get sev- a weapon profi-
at range. eral rounds of unreturned ciency slot tollearnthe use of the
attack on him. net.
Lasso ’ requires its opn I
weapon proficiency, which1 is Alternatively,he can tryto im-
not related to any other weanon I
proficiency. Weapon specialqa- prove his hold on the target. By
continuing to loop the trailing
tion gives you the normal + 1to rope around his victim, he can
improve the capture until the
hit with the lasso and +2 dapn- victim has no chance of escape.
age on all damaging effectslof To do this, he must make an or-
the lasso (strangulationafter dhe dinary roll to-hit against his vic-
initial hit is still only ld4, got tim’s AC each round. On each
ld4 +2).

Cultures with gladiators +re
not the only ones which co@e
up with the lasso. Civilizatiqns
which depend heavily on hetd-
beasts often have the lasso a+ a
weapon. In some cultures, tihe

lasso is a favorite weapon of 13.-

sassins. It’s up to the DM to qle-
termine if the lasso is a weapjon

99

Pirate Weapons page 97: metal gauntlets and CafflHook
The world of other metal band-protection The gaff is a
makes that ld3 plus strength
piracy doesn’t demand that pi- bonus and punching effects. metal hmk with a wooden or
Note: An enchanted cutlass, say metal crossbar at the base: it‘s
rates use any specific weapons a cutlass +1,doesnotconferthe held in one hand, the hook pro-
+ 1tohitand damagewith these truding between the middle and
. . . but for reasons of tradition ring fmgers, and normally used
basket-hilt punches . . . only
and convenience, some specific to hook and land fish.
with blade attacks.)
weapons arevery commonto pi- Proficiency with Cutlass is re- However, like the belaying
pin, it‘s in ready supply onboard
rate crews. lated to proficiency with short
sword, daggerldirk, knifdstilet- a ship. Also, many pirates who
In addition to the new weap- to. and main-gauche. Weapon
ons on the chart above, pirates Specialization with Cutlass is lose a haqd have a cup with a
normal, except that you also get
are readily familiar w i Ba~ffle the +1 to hit and + 2 damage gaff on it attached to the stump,
axe, Bow (all types), Club, with those basket-hilt punches. and so alivays have a weapon
Crossbow (all normally-avail- ‘*onhand”-one that can’t be
able types), DaggerlDirk, Hand/ In a campaign with pirates, dropped or Disarmed.
throwing axe, Harpoon,Javelin, cutlassesare common and read-
Knife, Polearm/Awl pike. ily availablein any port commu- proficiencywith the gaff is not
PolearmlPartisan, Scourge nity: they are much less related to any other proficiency.
(mostly for disciplinary pur- common inland. Specialization grants the usual
poses), Sling, Spear.Sword (all benefits.
but Khopesh), ’Rident, and Belaying Pin
Whip (also mostly for discipli- The belaying Samurai Weapons
naArdypduitriopnoasellsy),.the world of the The exotic,
pin is a short rod of wood or
Pirate overlapped that af the metal. It‘s inserted in a hole oriental world features many
bored through the ship’s rail,
Swashbuckler to a considerable and ship’s ropes are made fast ...weapons krhich are strange to
degree. With the DM’s permis- (tied) to it. It can also be yanked
sion (and there’s usually little free and brought in violent con- western eyes including the
reason to deny it), pirates may tact with enemies: in a pirate eyes of the PCs in most cam-
have access to all the weapons fight, anyone who loses a paigns.
weapon or starts out without
listed on the chartaboveand de- one ends up with a belaying pin Many of these weapons sim-
in his hand. ply look a little different and
scriptions below for Swash- beardifferentnames.Old, famil-
bucklers. Weapon proficiency with Be-
laying Pin isrelatedto clubsand iar weapons with slightly
The new weapons for Pirates maces: if you have proficiency
include: with club or mace, you take only changed forms and names in-

Cutlass a - 1when using a belaying pin clude: the E4affle axe, Hand axe,
The cutlass is Dagger (thto), Halberd, Jave-
you don’t have proficiency for. lin. Light lance, Mace, Pike.
a short, heavy sword, sharp Weapon specialization with be- Spear, Long sword, Short
laying pin gives the usual bene- sword, ’Mo-handed sword (no-
along only one edge, with a fits. daichi), and ?tident. These
heavy basket hilt (a protective weapons have game character-
CUD) around the hilt to protect Belaying pins are very availa- istics ideptical to the normal
thd hand. ble on any ship: you can get any versions, and proficiency with
number of them at a seaside the common weapon works just
The cutlass’ basket hilt prc- town or city, especiallyat a ship aswell with the more exotic ver-
vides the following benefits: it builder’s, a warehouse, or a sion.
gives the wielder a +1 to hit business that supplies ships.
with the Parry maneuver: and it The new samurai-society
works just the same as an iron weapons listed in the chart
gauntlet if the wielder wishes to above include:
punch someone with the hilt
rather than slashwith the blade. Bo Stick
(See the Player’s Handbook, The bo stick is
pages 97-98. Bare-hand attacks
do ld2 damage, plus strength an ordinary hardwood staff, the
bonus, and the other effects of height of aman or slightly taller.
Punching from the chart on
Bo sticlf shares a proficiency
with Qdterstaff. If you can use

100

- I‘

c - IEquipment

one,you can use the other. (This Chains are to be found in any and at the tip, but it is sharp-
doesn’t mean that the two styles civilization with the technologi- ened to a razor’s edge. It is
are identical: an oriental bo cal skill to make them (this in- forged with a special technique
stick fighter looks very different known only in the east, wherc:
in combat than a western quar- cludes most AD&D@ campaign layers of steel and iron are sand-
terstaff combatant. But if they wiched, heated, folded,
traded weapons, they’d be just settings), but the technique of stretched, re-folded, stretched,
as good with the other guy’s fighting with them is mostly an re-folded, on and on until the
eastern-culturedevelopment. A blade consists of microscopi-
weapon . . . each in his own character would have to study cally thin layers of alternating
with a practitioner of the tech- metals, providing strength, re-
style.) Weapon specialization in nique, and be able to spend a silience,and the ability to hold a
bo stick gives you the usual ad- weapon proficiency slot, in or- remarkable edge. This is why
vantages. der to learn how to use the the katana has the excellent
weapon. speed and damage listed for the
Bo sticks are common every- weapon.
where: any 6’ or 7‘ hardwood Daikyu
The daikyu is The katana requires its own
walking staff is a bo staff. ?b use weapon proficiency, which is re-
it as such, however, you have to the great samurai longbow. It’s lated to the bastard swordllong
7’ long (hence its size designa- blades group. Weapon speciali-
have the bo sticwquarterstaff tion of L). Its hand-gripis not in zation confers the usual bene-
weapon proficiency. The pri- the center of the weapon: it’s lo- fits.
mary difference between the cated closer to the bottom, so
weapons, and the reason the the daikyu can be fired from Katanab d e very personal; a
quarterstaff does more damage horseback and from kneeling samurai is dishonoredif he loses
against Large monsters, is that positions. his, and so very few are lost.
the combat quarterstaff has This means that it is very har
iron-shod, even lead-weighted As with other bows, the to get onein the west, other t
ends. (A quarterstaffwhich does daikyu can be used to perform
not have these features should the Called Shot, Disarm, Hold by taking it from its owner . .
do damage identical to the bo Attack, and Strike/Thrust(i.e.,
stick.) shoot) maneuvers. difficulttask. In the east, a ch
acter might be willing to com-
Chain The daikyu and katana are mission one from a wea-
This weapon the two principalweapons of the
samurai. ponsmith,for the listed price. .
is a 6’or 10’length of chainwith
weights at both ends. In com- The daikyu requires its own if he gets a good reaction roll
bat, it’s whirled very fast, the weapons proficiency. It is re- from the NPC. (An ordinary
weightedend inflicting the dam- lated to, but not identical to, weaponsmith could not make
age on the target. other bow proficiencies. one. The blade-making tech-
Weapon specialization confers nique requires study in the east
The chain combines some of the usual benefits. and the learning of a specialized
the useful traits of melee weap- individual weaponsmithing
ons and the lasso. You can at- The daikyu is not exported nonweapon proficiency.)
tack with it for normal Called from eastern nations. However,
Shots, Disarm, Parry, and it is a simple task, if you are in Also, a hero who does a favor
Strike/Thrust maneuvers. Addi- such a nation, to commission or performs a mission for an
tionally, you can perform three the making of one. A western eastern lord might be awarded a
of the lasso’s five special func- bowyer would have to have matched set of katana and waki-
tions: Pull/?fip by striking at a studied in the east to make one. zashi, if he’s very lucky: this
target’s legs, Dismount a Rider, would be a high honor.
and Snag a Rider’s Head. Katana
The katana is Naginata
The chain is easy to conceal, This is a P
and (at least in western lands) is the samurai’s sword. It’s a
not usually recognized as a medium-length,slightly curved learm, a 6: to 8“shaft wit6 a
weapon until wielded as one. blade with no quillions (only a curved, sword-like blade at the
small, circular guard) and a hilt end. It’s the favored weapon of
The chain requires its own suitable for one-handed and the female fighters of the orient,
proficiency, which is two-handed use. The blade is but they are not limited to it, nor
sharpened only along one edge is it limited to them.
ed to any other weapon.
specialization confers
bonuses.

Naginata proficiency is re- ing two types of damage: P Tetsubo
. lated to all other polearms. (piercing) and B (bludgeoning). The tetsubo is
That's not quite right; the nor-
Weapon specialization confers mal sai is only a Bludgeoning- a long walking-staff, its upper
the usual benefits. damage weapon. However, end shod with studded iron
certain warriors prefer for it to strips.
Naginatas are readily availa- be a sharp stabbing weapon, so
ble in oriental ports, and such the damage may be Piercing in- Its weapon proficiency is re-
weapons are readily exported, if stead. A sai may only have one lated to other polearms; special-
the DM says there is a market type of damage, not both. ization confers the usual
for them. benefits.
Sai requires its own profi-
Nunchnku ciency, which is not related to Tetsubos can be had in orien-
The nunchaku any other. Weapon specializa- tal markets, but none are ex-
tion confers the usual benefits. ported because it is a relatively
consists of two lengths of hard simple weapon to make.
wood connected by a short To learn the proficiency, one
length of chain or rope. Wakizashi
must study with someone who The wakizashi
The weapon can be used to has it, and the character must
perform Called Shots, Disarm, have a weapon proficiency slot is the short-swordcompanionof
to spend. the katana. Its blade is forged
Parry, and Strike/Thrust ma- the same way, and the weapon
Many warriors proficient in looks like a shorter version of
neuvers. the sai take Style Specialization the katana. It is often part of a
Nunchaku requires its own in TWO-Weapon technique and matched set with the katana,
utilize twin sai in combat. and is of almost equal impor-
proficiency, which is not related tance as the katana to the samu-
to any other weapons profi- Sai are readily available in ori- rai. Only samurai can wear both
ciency (includingflails). Weapon ental ports, and are exported. katana and wakizashi.
specialization confers the usual
benefits. Masters of the weapon Shuriken Wakizashi proficiency is re-
often have weapon specializa- Shuriken, of- lated to short sword. Specializa-
tion in nunchaku and Style Spe- tion confers the usual benefits.
cialization in 'ho-Weapons ten called throwing stars, are Many samurai fight with the ka-
Style, giving them the ability to small thrown weapons. They do tana in one hand and wakizashi
fight effectively with nunchaku as much damage as a thrown in the other, in two-weapon
in either hand. The only way to dagger, and are considerably technique, and some learn the
acquire this proficiency is to more concealable. Ornamental two-weaponstyle specialization
study with someone who al- shuriken can often be worn as to further improve their ability
ready has the proficiency, and to jewelry and not recognized as with this style.
have a proficiency slot available weapons, and a pocketful of
to spend on nunchaku. shuriken weigh no more than Wakizashis are as hard to
many other single weapons. come by as katanas.
Nunchaku are readily availa-
ble in oriental ports, and such However, shuriken require Note
weapons are exported; western their own weapon proficiency,
collectors are quite enthusiastic which is not related to any The A D & P
about them, even if these collec- other. Weapon specialization game supplement Oriental Ad-
tors usually cannot use them. confers the usual benefits. 'lb ventures describes many, many
learn shuriken proficiency, one
Sai must study with someone who other weapons and provides a
This is a short, has it, and must have a weapon lot of resource material for ori-
proficiency slot to spend. ental characters and cam-
defensive weapon, consisting of paigns. A certain amount of
a metal bar with a hilt, and over- Shuriken are available in ori- conversion is required, as the
sized upward-curving quillions. ental ports, but most occidental supplement was written for the
When used by someone with collectors don't know how to first-editiongame.
proficiency in the weapon, sai use them.

confer a + 1 to hit bonus when

using the Pin and Disarm ma-
neuvers.

In the chart at the start of this
chapter, the Sai is listed as hav-

-E~ qu-ipment

Savage Weapons lessmoney,do less damage,and . .damage more modern weapons
The lump are more prone to shattering.
will do, will make the switch .
term “savages” is being used The damages and costs
here to refer to any number of (should some ever be sold on the though they’re likely to stick to
different types of people. They market) for these weapons are the typesof weapons they know
have in common these traits: given on the chart above. best (spears, bows, daggers,
They’re not as technologically etc.).
advanced as the normal peoples Stone weapons have a chance
of the campaign, though some of breaking every time they hit Remember, though, that the
do make weapons of bronze or and do damage. Every time a clubis the same weapon regard-
iron; and they’re probably stone weapon successfully hits less of technological advance-
hunter-gatherers who have not a target, the player must roll ment; the surliest caveman can
yet embraced the agricultural ld6. Regardless of the roll, this make a club that has the
revolution. And that’s really all attack does its full damage, but weapon stats of the most mod-
they have to have in common. on a roll of 1 on the ld6, the ern baseball bat.
“Savages” might be highly cul- weapon or weapon-head shat-
tured, artistic,peaceful peoples, ters and is useless. Also, player-charactersmight
but if they have dirt floors or find themselves stripped of
flint-tippedweapons, the rest of Bone Weapons weapons and cast adrift in the
the world callsthem savage. For Bone weapons wilderness. If they want weap-
our purposes, “savages” en- ons, they’ll have to make them,
compasses Neanderthal man, are likewiseused like their mod- possibly of stone or bone. For
Old Stone Age Cro-magnon,and ern counterparts,but are worth these purposes, too, the weapon
New Stone Age modern men. even less money, can only be stats above can be useful.
used with smaller stabbing
Stereotypical savages know weapons (knives and daggers), Swashbuckler Weapons
the following weapons: Blow- and shatter even more readily- Swashbuckler
gun (mostlyjungle tribes), Long on a roll of 1or 2 on ld6.
and Short bow (no composite weapons are light, fast weapons
bows), Club, Dagger, Hand/ Other Uses for used by lightly-armored oppo-
Throwing Axe, Javelin, Knife, Stone and Bone Weapons nents, usually in an environ-
Sling, and Spear. ment (a culture, nation or even
Generally, no just a city) where heavier arms
Depending on their level of one in his right mind is going to and armor are illegal or out-
technological development, trade in nice, modern steel dated. They’re also appropriate
they may make their weapons weaponsfor bone or stone coun- for shipboard campaignsand sit-
(including arrowheads, spear- terparts. But characters don’t uations; the light armor is easier
heads, etc.) out of iron, bronze, always have the choice. to get out of soyou don’tdrown if
stone or even bone. you fall overboard. So, usually,
Characters with the Savage swashbucklers emerge in an
For our purposes, iron and warrior kit start out with the area where the days of the plate-
bronze weapons have the same level of weaponsthe DM decides armored, broadsword-wielding
characteristics as steel weap- for him: “Modern,” stone or
ons; it’s not worth generating bone. In a campaignwhere most knight are past . . . or at least
all-new weapon stats for the savages are simply hunter-
slight game-mechanic differ- gatherers who live at a certain numbered. Swashbuckler char-
ences. distance from the PCs’ culture, acters might bolt on the plate
but who trade and interact with mail and pick up the lance for
Stone and bone weapons, on them,modernweaponsare fine. genuinewarfare,but in their cos-
the other hand, require their When the savage culture is far mopolitan big-city adventures
own statistics, which is why away and more technologically
they’re represented on the primitive, stone weapons are they stick to the lighter stuff. . .
weapon chart at the top of the more appropriate.If the savages
chapter. are supposed to be very primi- and can be sure that most of the
tive indeed, bone weapons are opponents they face will be 1*e-
Stone Weapons the proper choice. In all likeli- wise armed and armored.
Stone weap- hood, these savage characters,
reaching more advanced lands Weapons from the Player’s
ons are usedjust like their mod- and seeing how much more Handbook which can be consid-
ern counterparts, but are worth ered swashbuckler weapons in-
clude: Bows (all types),
Crossbows (all available types),
DaggedDirk, Knife, Polearms
(all types), and Short Swords.
The only sorts of shields they

Equipment

use regularly are bucklers and RapPer New Armor
small shields, and they tend to The rapier is a
wear only leather, padded, and Some of the
hide armor. long-bladed, one-handedsword, new warriqr types repredented
normally sharp only at the by the warrior kits also have
The new weapons listed on point. It's a thrusting weapon, their ow a1 forms of ar-
the chart above include: wielded with lightning-like mor: the or and Samurai
thrustsand lunges. Swashbuck- both ihtraduce new forms of ar-
Stiletto lers often learn Tho-Weapon mor to the campaign.
The stiletto is Style Specialization and use ra-
pier with rapier, with main- Gladiator Armor
a type of narrow-bladed knife, gauche, with short sword, or
s h q only at the point. Its most with dagger, stiletto, or knife. three n There are
unmual trait is that it confers a It's also occasionally used with types of gladiator
+2 (non-magical) bonus to hit buckler. armor: acian, Gallic, and
against certain armor types: Samnite.
PkPe mail (bronze and normal), Rapier requires its own profi-
ciency, which is related to sabre e Amolr
ring mail, and chain mail. (This proficiency-not long sword Samnite class
and its related weapons.
is because its narrow point and Weapon specialization confers 9
blade slip in more readily the usual benefits. 7
through any sort of armor that 5
ismot solid metal or overlapping You can have a rapier made
plates of metal.) with a basket hilt. This adds 2 made up from sev-
gp to the cost, + 1 lb. to the pieces of armor,
It otherwise behaves like any weight, and confers the normal
other knife, and Knife weapon Visored helm
proficiency is exactly the same basket-hilt benefits: + 1 to hit es are named
' as Stiletto weapon proficiency: with Parry maneuver, and the
If yeru know one, you know the
other equally well, at no addi- iron-gauntletbenefit for Punch-
tiom1cost in proficiency slots. ing.
Sabre
Main-gauche
The main- The sabre is a
light slashing weapon. Its prac-
gauche is a large-bladed dagger titioners commonly use only sa-
with a basket hilt (see the de- bre, and often take
scription of Cutlass, above) and Single-Weapon Style Specializa-
largp quillions. Thou tion and Sabre Weapon Speciali-
stabbing weapon, it's primarily
a defensive weapon wielded in Sabre requires its own profi-
the left-hand in two-weapon ciency, which is related to rapier
technique (or two-weapon style proficiency.
specialization).
Sabres, like cutlasses and
When used by someane with main-gauches,are made with a
Main-gauche weapon profi- basket hilt. This confersthe nor-
mal basket-hilt benefits: + 1 to
ciency, the weapon confers a + 1 hit with Parry maneuver, and
the iron-gauntlet benefit for
bonus to hit with the Disarm Punching.
and Parry maneuvers. Because
of its cutlass-like basket hilt, the
m&-gauche, too, works like an
iron gauntlet if the wielder
wisbes to punch someone with
the hilt rather than slash with
the blade.

Main-gaucheproficiency is re-
lated to, but not identical to,
dagger prokiency. Specializa-
tion confers the usual benefits.

gladiators in your campaign, Samnite studded leather, scale mail, and
you may want to rename these The most brigandine; basic costs,
types according to place-names weights, and AC values are
more appropriate to your set- heavily-armored type of gladia- identical to the western armor
ting. tor, the Samnite, wears a cui- styles. However, a samurai may
rass, fasciae on his legs, manica wish to spend more than the
Thracian on his weapon arm, and the ga- minimum amount on his ar-
The Thracian lea helmet. His basic AC is 5, or mor; the extra money goes into
4 with the scutum he carries. making it a remarkable exam-
gladiator wears only fasciae on ple of eastern art.
his legs. This gives him AC 9, or Shouldsomeonejust wear the
8 with a shield-and he carries a cuirass, his base AC would be 7. Kote
shield, a parma. In gladiatorial The samurai
combat, the Thracian gladiator Samurai Armor
The main dif- also have one sort of armor un-
fights only with a dagger. In the known to the west: The kote.
ference between oriental and oc- This is a pair of armored sleeves
field, adventuring, he could use cidental armor, from a which may be worn concealed
anything he wants. game-mechanics point of view, under the samurai’s tunic.
is descriptive. Oriental armor is
Gallic colorful and elaborately con- Mechanically, the kote costs
The structed, often brightly enam- twice as much as and acts al-
elled or decorated with paint or most the same as a buckler.
gladiator wears the galea, the painted leathers, silk cords, There are a couple of differences
belt, manica on his weapon precious-metalplating, etc. between buckler and kote,
arm, and fasciae. This confers though. Kote cannot be Dis-
an AC of 7. He also carriesa scu- But from a game-mechanic armed, and you can use weap-
tum, to bring it to a 6. The Gallic point of view, leather armor is ons in the hands of the arms to
gladiator fights with any num- leather armor, plate is plate. which kote are attacked. The
ber of weapons. Samurai wear armor that is the
equivalent of padded leather,

Equipment -

fact that kote consistsof a pair of The armor a character wears pushed down and sat upon with
sleeves doesn’t mean you get a affects his AC, his Encum- comparative ease.
brance (if that optional system
+2 bonus to AC; only the + 1 is used), and also his ability to Nothing could be further from
perform dexterous actions-in the truth. Armor is designed to
normally conferred by a buck- other words, heavier armor pe- be as accommodating as possi-
ler. nalizes a character’s Dexterity ble to a fighter’s movements,
score for purposes of Dexterity and so the AD&D@gamedoesn’t
Effects of Armor ability checks and Dexterity- assign an armored warrior any
based nonweapon proficiencies. sort of initiative penalty for
Here are some wearing armor. ”
optional rules for use with the A character’s choice of head
wearing of armor in your cam- protection, on the other hand, Now, armor isn’t made for
paign. You may wish to use affects his Encumbrance, his some other types of movement
some, all, or none of these; we’ll ability to spot things, and the (acrobatics, dancing, etc.) and
try to discuss what effects each ability of some weapons and at- so will constrict many other
will have on your campaign. tacks to affect him in combat,as Dexterity-based abilities, as
we’ll discuss further on. we’ll discuss below. It is also
A lot of the information we’ll heavy, which slows down an ar-
be discussing and elaborating Helmet Vis. Hrg. Wgt. mored character’s running
upon is contained in the follow- speed,as is already documented
ing charts. in the game.

Armor AC Dex Wet Effects On Dexterity Checks
Armor does in-
datemail 4 -3 45 Greathelm -3 -4 10
terfere with a character’s grace-
Gallic 7 - 1 15 Effects On AC fulness in many situations. For
Samnite 5 - 2 30 The effects of this reason, we assign the char-
acter a penalty to Dexterity
Plate mail 3 -3 50 armor on the characters’ AC are checks (and dexterity-based
already well-documented with- nonweapon proficiencies) when
Shield : -3:: 15 in the game. the character is in armor; those
3 penaltiesare listed on the armor
MY * ,Of* In the campaign, the only fea- chart above.
10 ture of the armor/AC system
BuKcoktleer/ * -2** that tends to cause trouble in- These penalties are applied
volves the shield. Remember when the character is using all
Medium/ that attacks to the character’s nonweapon proficiencies except
scutum rear are made at the character’s Riding (Land-based or Airborne)
AC without the shield (unless or Charioteering, which are ex-
Small/ he’s wearing it slung across his empt from the penalty. (Why
back, of course); this is some- someone would be performing
___^_ I--- thing that is easy to forget. DMs, many of those skills in armor is a
if they don’t keep the informa-
* A shield makes the AC one tion written on a helpful record mystery . . .but it could happen.)
sheet, should ask their players:
better: Leather + shield is “What’s your AC from the In addition, the penalty pre-
rear?” when such incidents scribed for the shieldsis applied
AC 7. come up, not just “What’s your when the character is using the
AC?” nonweapon proficiencies Jug-
* * This penalty is only counted Effects On Speed gling, Tightrope Walking and
’hmbling. (The DM may choose
for certain situations;see be- There’s a mis- to disallow the shield penalty for
low. conception that armor, particu- certain examples of these skills’
larly plate-type armor, trans- use. For example, a character
forms graceful warriors into who is juggling a one-handed
lumbering oafs who can be technique won’t be put off by
having a shield on the other
hand. But these exceptions will
be rare.)

106

..In the Campaign. What Head Protection No Head Protection
Doesn’t Do If a charactc
These dexter-
ity-roll penalties are provided The one thing chooses to wear no head protec
only for those gamers to whom your choice of head protection tion at all, he suffersno Vision c
the matter means something. If doesn’t do is change your Ar- Hearing check penalties.
you don’t care about such mor Class. A warrior can have
things, don’t use these rules: on full plate and a great helm, or However, the character ha
they’d merely be an annoyance full plate and no helmet at all, one hindrance, if you’re
and extra complicationfor you. and he’ll have the same AC. So the optional hit location
when making your choice of from the Combat Rules ch
But if you prefer for a charac- head protection for your charac-
ter to be a little less graceful ter, don’t worry about the char- If a character is wearing n
when in full plate or hide than in acter’s AC, for it won’t be
soft leather or no armor at all, affected. head protection, an attacker ca
these rules are for your cam- make a Called Shot against h:
paign. Vision and Hearing Checks head and thereby ignore th
In a combat or character’sAC benefits from ar-
Effects On Vision and Hearing mor. (All bonuses from shiel
Helms and any other loud situation (such high Dexterity scores, and m
as a raucous tavern, a charging ical items still count, howev
helmetsrestrictvision and hear- mob, an earthquake, a hurri- Since this is a very difficult shc
ing. They frame the face, ob- cane, or a singing contest at a (a total -8 to hit, remember
scure his vision, muffle his dwarven boiler-making plant), this doesn’t do the attacker
hearing, and generally give the much good, unless the victim is
character less ability to observe the DM may want his PCs to otherwise heavily armored.
what’s going on around him.
(They also sometimes keep make Vision and Hearing Example: Halway the archer
maces frolm caving in his skull, Checks in order to see and hear has two-possible targets, R n
which is why fighterslike helms certain things. tor and Bosque, two brut
and helmets.) guards. Rrritor is wearing
Certainly, when a fighter is leather armor and no headgear:
With these optional rules, pointed in a certain direction, this puts him at AC 8, and with
we’ll talk about different kinds there’s nothing distracting him, his Dexterity bonus he’s AC 6.
of helms and helmets, how and an ogre is lumbering at him Bosque is wearing fullplate +2,
they’re used, and what other ef- from that direction, the fighter no headgear, and body shield:
fects they have in combat. is going to see the ogre. No roll is this puts him at AC -2.
necessary.
Other Helms and Helmets Halway. after all modifiersfor
The types of But when there’s a chance range, his Dexterity. and other
that the character could fail to factors, is THACO 16. (He’s a
armor listed in the Player’s notice such a thing (as defined 6th-level warrior, with a Dexter-
Handbook, page 69, include by the DM), the character gets to ity of 16,and is firingat Medium
only two types of helmet (great make a Vision Check or a Hear- Range.)
helm and basinet) and then ing Check (whichever the situa-
don’t really describe what the tion calls for). I f hC shoots at lkritor, AC

. . .differences are between them A Vision or Hearing Check is a he needs only a (16-6)IO or b
other than price and weight. ld20 roll againstthe character’s
In The Complete Fighter’s Intelligence or Wisdom, which- ter to hit him. I f he shoots
Handbook, we’ll talk about six ever is higher. If the PC rolls his
different types of head protec- ability or less, he’s successfully shot becomesmuch hard
tion. Each one has different ef- made his check and can see or shooting at AC 8 (AC 10
fects on the character’sability to hear whatever it is he’s sup- Rrri tor ’s Dexterity),
see thingsand to protecthimself posed to. If he fails, he doesn’t. would normally need a
from different types of damage.
Protective headgear,however, shot, he’s back to a
providespenaltiesto the charac- better, It’s easier fo
ter’s Vision and Hearing Territor with a no
Checks, as well as providing
other benefits and hindrances. shot becomes somewhat easi

I 107

Equipmer

he’s shooting at AC 9 (AC 10, his Great Helm, the better to see technics, fire ball, flaming
and hear around him, and still sphere, wall of fire, delayed
modified by Bosque’s shield), have some head protection. As a blast fireball.incendiary cloud,
and so would normally need a disadvantage, it adds a little and meteor swarm, and other
(16-9) 7;with the -8 to hit for a weight to the knight’s equip- fire-based spells and magical ef-
head shot, he’s up to a roll of 15 ment, but it does not decrease fects (as determined by the DM).
or better. This makes it slightly his Vision and Hearing checks
easier to hit Bosque, and may any further than just wearing If someone uses a Lasso,
give him the special effects of the Great Helm. Chain, or Bolas in an effort to
the head location shot ifhe suc- snare a rider’s head, and that
ceeds, so that’s the shot he at- The Open-Face Helmet rider is wearing a Closed-Face
tempts. The Open- Helmet, the victim gets to roll
ld6. On a 4-6, the attack is han-
The lower (better) a target’s Faced Helmet, made of rein- dled normally, but on a 1-3,the
AC is, the better an option it is to forced leather, or of metal, attack is treatedjust as a normal
try a head shot, ifhishead is un- covers the back, sides and top of lasso or chain dismount: the at-
protected and the rest of his the face, leaving most of the face tacker doesn’t do the extra dam-
body is armored. Characters in- age that the head-lasso attack
terested in this option should open. It gives the wearer a - 1 normally allows.
calculate the math of both shots
and compare the results, if they penalty with Vision Checks,and The Great Helm
know all the relative ACs and a -2 penalty with Hearing
modifiers: if they don’t, they Checks (it completely coversthe The Great
should ask the DM, in general ears,usually with small holes or Helm is a massive helm which
terms, if it’s even worth their grating over the ears so that the covers the entire head, from the
time to try such a shot. wearer can hear at all). top of the head to the top of the
shoulders, leaving slits open for
The Cap Examples include the Corin- the eyes and holes open for
thian helmets of ancient Greece. breathing; it has no removable
The Cap is a In a medieval campaign, open- visor. It gives the wearer a -3
padded, leather or even steel faced helmets are often worn by penalty with Vision Checks,and
skullcap which is about the size military officers and soldiers a -4 penalty with Hearing
of and worn much like a close- who can afford the protection. Checks.
fitting cap, beret or hat. It gives
the wearer no penalty for Vision The Closed-Face Helmet The Great Helm provides the
The Closed- following other benefits:
Checks, and a - 1 penalty with
Face Helmet is made of metal The wearer of a Great Helm
Hearing Checks (as it partially and is much like the Open- gets a + 2 saving throw vs. wiz-
covers the ears). It’s often worn ard spells such as hypnotism,
in conjunction with padded, Faced Helmet . . . except that light cast on his eyes, blindness,
leather, hide, studded leather, hypnotic pattern, suggestion,
and other lightweight armors. there is armor plate, often in the fire charm, rainbow pattern,
form of a visor which may be and some other mind-control-
The Coif opened, in front of the face. It
gives the wearer a -2 penalty ling spells . . . but not charm
The Coif is a with Vision Checks, and a -3
padded chain mail hood: it fits penalty with Hearing Checks. person, charm monster, or dom-
fairly snugly around the neck ination.
and over all the head except the Examples include the basinet
face from chin to forehead. Like mentioned in the Player’s Hand- If the wearer of a Great Helm
the Cap, it gives the wearer no book, the galea and myrrmillo is also wearing plate mail or field
penalty for Vision Checks and mentioned for the gladiators
(above), and many other combat plate armor, he gets a +2 to sav-
only a - 1penalty with Hearing helmets. Many knights and
other mounted warriors wear ing throws vs. dragon breath,
Checks. It’s usually worn with helmets of this type. and to spells such as burning
chain mail. hands, pyrotechnics, fire ball,
If the wearer of a Closed-Face flaming sphere, wall of fire, de-
Often, a heavily-armored Helmet is also wearing plate layed blast fireball, incendiary
knight will wear a chain mail mail or field plate armor, he gets cloud, and meteor swarm, and
coif and wear a Great Helm over a + 1 to saving throws vs. other fire-basedspells and magi-
it. The only benefit this confers dragon breath, and to spells cal effects (as determined by the
is that such a knight can remove DM). If, instead of plate mail or
field plate, he is wearing full

Iquipment

plate, the bonus is a +3 to sav- Armor Fitting However, the DM may allow
ing throws. Armor made the differeqce in sex to help
sometimesdin cases where the
If someone uses a Lasso, for one race rarely fits another; armor is not likely to fit a male
Chain, or Bolas in an effort to it may be too big, too small, or human becquse it is too small in
snare a rider’s head, and that proportioned too strangely. the shouldets and chest. A hu-
rider is wearing a Great Helm, man womaq trying to put on a
the attack is automatically Below is a chart. The column male half-elfsarmor might be at
treated just as a normal attack. to the left shows the type of de- no modifier,,andfind herself at a
With lasso or chain, it’s a nor- mihumah trying to wear the ar-
mal lasso or chain dismount, mor. The rows along the top + 10%modifier to wear a male
and the attacker doesn’t do the show what species the armor
extra damage that the head- was made for. The percentage elfs armor.
lasso attack normally allows. chances shown are the chances Remembet- that full plate has
With Bolas, the attack does nor- that the person can wear the ar-
mal damage, but no strangula- its own modfiers for chances to
tion damage. -mor, and the “ + ” and “ ” sym- fit; it has only a 20% chance to fit
another member of the same
..In the Campaign. bols show whether the armor is race (10% if the new wearer is of
more likely to be too big or too
If you use small for the wearer. (If there is the other sex). A character can-
these rules in a campaign, you no such symbol, it means that
add some color and distinction odds are even, 50% that it will not wear full plate made for a
between the types of armor that be too big, 50%that it will be too character of another race, per-
your PCswill be wearing. On the small.) “?bo large” could mean iod.
other hand, once again, it’s an that it is so baggy or empty that
added level of complexity which it hinders the wearer and does The DM can allow previously
the game doesn’t have to have. not protect him well enough, or
Use these rules only if the added that it is so long on him that it ces from the
complexity doesn’t bother you, interferes with his walking. chart below. For instance, if one
and if the special functions of “Too small” could mean that it player has dways said that his
the different types of helmets is not broad enough to accom- human character was short and
appeal to you. modate the wearer’s chest, or stocky, say 5’4” and powerfully
that it is so short that it looks ri- built, so that many peoplejoked
Variant Armor diculous and does not suffi- about him having a dwarvish
ciently protect the wearer.
The types of DM can give him a
armor given in the Player’s Now, at the DM’s discretion, e to wear dwarvish
Handbook are all you need to many things can affect these raises his chance
play the game. However, you percentage chances. from 50%to 65%,as if he were a
can use other types of armor in human trying to wear armor of
your campaign; here, we’ll talk If a character of one sex is try- his own kind. The DM should,
about two different types of al- however, subtract that same
ternative armor. ing to put on armor built for an- modifier from the character’s
other sex, chances go down that chance to wear armor built for
Racial Armor it will fit. The chance is reduced humans; that chance would go
It’sasking a lot 10% (but never goes below 5%). down from 65% to 50%.
If a fit failsbecause of that modi-
to suppose that elves will make fier, it’s because the woman Example: An adventuring
their armor just as humans found the man’s armor too big, older in its lair
make theirs, that it will look the or the man found the woman’s
same and function identically. too small.
Here are some ways to make the
armors of different races more Race Race For Which Armor Was Built:
individual. Elf Gnm V 2 El l/2-1g
wing Dwf Hum
Wear Armor:

+ 45% 10% + 70%

em include a huge human male not modify it for her sex. She ,
barbarian, a slender human rolls a 51 and fails.She tries the
leather; she has a base 60% Half-Elves: Half-Elf armorers
oress, a dwarf axeman, do not make any High-Quality
female gnome. The dead chance with it, - 10% for differ- leather armor, padded armor,
victims include an elf male in studded leather, hide armor, or
enchanted chain mail and a ent gender equals 50%. She bronzeplatemail. All their other
haltling male in enchanted rolls a 33 and can wear it. armors can be made as High-
leather. The heroes see who can Quality armor. High-Quality
wear the captured armor. So the human warrioress gets half-elf armor is made from fine
The DM decides arbitrarily the chain mail, and the dwarf steel; it is -10% the weight of
that the human barbarian can- and gnomemust choose orgam- ordinary armor of the same
not even roll. He’s always de- kind, fine steel, for normal
scribed himself as being ble to decide who gets the leath- thickness, -10% weight, and
ers. gets a +2 to saving throws (on
massive, with enormous rip- the “Metal” column on page 39
pling muscles and a body- High-Quality Racial Armor
bui€der’s physique. I n this of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
campaign, that often helps him Armor found
with the ladies, but this time it as treasure has a chance to be Halflings: Halflings only
high-quality armor. Ordinary make leather armor as High-
disqualifies him from wearing armor has a 10%chance on per- Quality armor. Their High-
any of the treasure. centile dice; magical armor has Quality leather armor counts as
a 25% chance. “No Armor” on the “Thieving
l%eslender human warrioress Each race adds something dif- Skill Armor Adjustment table
tries the elf’s chain mail. A hu- ferent to its armor if it is high-
man trying on elf armor, on the quality. (Player’sHandbook, page 39).
chart above,has a 20% to wearit Dwarves: High-Quality
successiklly The DM raises her dwarvish armor is very, very re- Humans: Humans make all
chance 10% because she is a fe- sistant to damage. Whenever types of armor as High-Quality
male human trying to fit into High-Quality dwarvish armor armor. This is especially tough
must make a saving throw (see armor; whatever it is made of, it
male elfarmor;her build is at an the Dungeon Master’s Guide, is +2 to saving throws on the
advantage here. He raises it 10% pages 39-39),it getsa +6 to save appropriate line of the “Item
further because in the campaign in addition to any bonuses it re- Saving Throws” chart on page
she has always described herself ceives if it is magical. Addition-
ally, if you use the “Damage to 39 of the Dungeon Master’s
as ofdelicate build, very slendex Armor” rules described later in Guide. Also, plate mail (not in-
This raises her chance to 40%. this chapter, all High-Quality
She rolls 38 on percentile dice; dwarvish armor has twice the cluding bronze plate), field
she can wear the chain. She also number of damage points of or- plate, and full plate made to
tries the enchanted leather. A dinary armor. High-Quality specifications is
Elves: High-Qualityelvish ar- made of fine steel, but instead of
human woman trying to wear mor is 1/2 the weight of ordinary being lighter than usual, it is
male halfling armor is at lo%, armor; it constitutes “elven built thicker in order to make it
steel” (see the chart on page 38 more resistant to damage. It is
and theDMagainassignsher the of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). +4 to saving throws on that
+20% h m the two modifiers Gnomes: Gnomes make very “Item Saving Throws” chart,
mentioned. She has a 30% quiet studded and padded and is normal weight. Also, it
chance, but rolls a 79;she can- leather armors; these are the
not wear it. only High-Quality armors they gives the wearer a +2 to saving
make. High-Quality gnome ar-
Thedwarfaxeman tries the el- mor does not take any penalties throws vs. Rod, Staff, or Wand
vish chain. A dwarf trying to on the “Thieving Skill Armor and Breath Weapon attacks. In
wear elfannor has a 0% chance Adjustment” table (Player’s addition, if you are using the
to wear It. He can’t. He has a “Damage to Armor” rulesfound
35% chance to wear the half- later in this chapter, it has one
ling’sarmor; the DMlowers that and a half times the normal
to 25% because this character damage points for the type of ar-
has always described himselfas mor it is.
especially burly fora dwarf. But
he rolls03 on percentile dice;he Handbook, page 39, last
column); thus, a gnome thief or
can wear the enchanted leather. dual-classthief does not suffer a
Thefemalegnome tries the el- -30% when picking pockets,or
a -20% when moving silently,
vish chain. She has a base 40% etc.

chance to wear it. The DM does

-- Equipment

11 the above The answer is yes. Instead of Example: A charactc is
for worn ar- costing ten times the normal
cost of the armor, the price is 15 robbed of all his worldly goods.
mor? First,the DM has to decide times the normalcost. But it can Later,he findstheaftermathofa
be done. Again, though, an elf
whether thereis any availableto armorer will never make High- battle, with a couple of dead
sell. Usually, the answer will be Quality armorer for anvone but warriors still in theirarmor. One
no; there is only a 1% chance his rulers. body wears a bqdly battered set
that a normal village armorer’s of field plate (of which the
Custom-built High-Qualityar- breastplate is intact), while the
will have made any piece of mor takes four times as long to other wears a full suit of chain
make as normal, averagearmor. mail (ofwhich the chest is rid-
high-quality armor to sell, and
that will be racial armor of the riecemear nrmor dled with holes and one le-gis de-
armorer’srace. The chance goes Wnat happens stroyed).
up to 5% in a big city, or 25% if
you’re looking for racial armor when a character takes a heavy He tries to piece
of the race that is most common metal breastplate from a set of into a suit forhim.
of the armor. High-quality dwarf field plate and then wears chain field-plate’s breas
plate mail, then, would cost mail sleeves and leggings and a
6,000 gp. Often, it’s not worth leather armor cap? (That is, ing at the chart, we see it grants
the price to the adventurer. what happens other than he
looks stupid?) an AC bonus of4. He also takes
In nocase will an elvish crafts- the field-plate’stwo arms. Look-
Characters can wear armor ing at the chart, we see they
man custom-makea set of High- grant an AC bonus of2.He takes
Quality elvish armor for assembled out of the remnants
someone. Such armor is only of other, mismatched sets of ar- the surviving chain mail leg.
made for the elvish royalty, and mor. It’s not as good, and cer- Lookingat the chart, we see that
their kings sometimes bestow a tainly not as good-looking, as itgrants an AC bonus of0.(He’ll
wearing a matched suit. But also take the surviving helm or
piece on a non-elf hero . . . but sometimes necessity dictates helmet from one of these war-
that characters wear what’s on riors,so that he’llhave some ar-
only for deeds of exceptional hand. mor on his head in case of a
valor which have helped the Called Shot to the Head.)
elves. When you’re assemblinga full
suit of armor out of pieces on His AC bonus is 6, so his AC
Another question adventur- hand, the first thing to do is to
ers are sure to ask Can an ar- see what you have. Compare now is 4-not too bad. I f there’s
morer of one race build his own your armor on hand with the a shield,he’llhave an AC of3. I f
type of High-Quality armor for chart below. someone takes a Called Shot to
another race? For example, can his unarmored leg, he’ll be at
a master gnome armorer build AC 10 (or 9 with the shield), as
per the Combat Rules chapter,
but that attacker will take a -4

Armor Bonus to AC Per Type of Piece: One
Leg
TvDe Full Breast- Two One ”taro
Suit Plate Arms Arm Legs

111

penalty to hit forthe CalledShot The piece of armor called the Halfbrigandine 7 30
maneuver. Galerus, worn on the weapon Half padded 9 10
shoulder,does not add anything
Weight of Piecemeal Suits to the AC bonus; it is considered Full plate 1 45
To calculate part of the sleeve or breastplate. Gladiator
7 15
the weight of a piecemeal suit of Damage to Arm Gallic
armor, follow these guidelines:
campaign just not to worry Close-Faced * +O 25
The breastplate is 1/2 the about the damage that armor Great +o
weight of the original suit. and shields are taking. It’s pre- Own-Faced + O 35
sumed that characters go on ad- 20
Each arm and leg is ‘18 the ventures, get in fights, and
weight of the original suit. during some of their off-hours Ring mail 7 15
they repair their armor. Scale mail 6 20
About Magical Armor Shields
If a suit of If you want know precisely 35
how much damage a piece of ar- Body I
magical armor is used for one of mor can take before being de-
these piecemeal efforts, it grants stroyed, and how to repair >
none of its magical bonus; once damaged armor (without the
the magical armor is split into PCs necessarily having to do so I
little bits, or pieces are merely themselves), YOU can use the fol-
separated and not worn to- * Includes basinet, galea, m
gether, the magical bonus Every time a
doesn’t work. character wearing armor is hit rmillo
and damaged by an attack, his
Gladiator Armor armor takes damage, too. It Piecemeal Armor
These rules for takes 1 Damage Point per blow If you’re using
that hits. If an attack hits for 1
piecemeal armor are, in effect, point of damage, the armor the Piecemeal Armor rules from
how the types of Gladiator Ar- takes 1 DP. If an attack hits for earlier in this chapter, consider
mor described in this chapter 10 points of damage, the armor the armor’s Breastplate to have
are built. takes 1DP. the number of DP listed for it in
the chart above. Each arm and
Thracian armor consists of Shields only take damage leg will have a DP amount equiv-
fasciae, the equivalent of Hide when the character successfully alent to (1/m the DP total from
armor worn on two legs-thus Parries with a Shield. Each time the chart. The breastplate will
an AC bonus of 1,for an AC of 9. he parries an attack that would take all DP damage from attacks
have hit him, his shield takes 1 unless they are Called Shots to
Gallic armor consists of fas- DP. other body parts.
ciae (Hide armor on two legs),
one manica (the equivalent of Helms only take damage
when the character is hit with a
Splint Mail on one arm, thus an Called Shot to the Head or a Sap
maneuver. Each time the char-
AC bonus of l),and a protective acter wearing a helm is hit with
metal belt. The belt is a special such an attack, the helm takes 1
piece of gladiator armor; it con- DP.
stitutes halfa breastplateof Hide
armor in both weight an AC bo- When a piece of armor drops

nus, so it grants an AC bonus of to 0 DP, it falls apart and is ru-
1. All together, Gallic armor
grants an AC bonus of 3, for a fi- ined; it cannot be repaired. So
long as it has 1 DP it can be re-
nal AC of 7. Note: The armor belt paired.
cannot be worn in addition to a
Breastplate, only instead of one. Armor has the following DP:

Samnite armor consists of a
cuirass (a splint mail equivalent
breastplateconferring an AC bo-
nus of 3), and splint-equivalent
armor on one arm (AC bonus of
1)and both Iegs (AC bonus of 11,
for a final AC of 5.

I bats in the game. Every time a 3Equipment
character is hit in combat, he’ll
I‘ have to add one tally-mark to a warrior, multi-class
separate scratch sheet of paper dual-class warrior]
Magical Armor showing the damage his armor
Magical Ar- is taking. It’s easy to forget; the bracelet rested . . . and the
DM will constantly have to re-
mor does not gradually lose its mind hisplayersto do thisin the bracelet disappears.
protective enchantment as it is firstweeks he is introducingthis The bracelet can hold up to
damaged. However, if it reaches rule into his campaign. There-
0 DP before being repaired, the fore, we recommend you use four weaponskharms this way.
armor is destroyed and so is the thissystemonly if it’simportant They can be normal or magical.
to you. If it isn’t, don’t bother Shields and miscellaneous
enchantment. with it. equipment cannot be held in
this fashion; only weapons built
Being magical does not confer Magical Items as weapons. Siege weapons can-
not be held.
any extra Damage Points on the Following are
suit of armor. It can graduallybe some new types of magical trea- The change from bracelet to
sures, magic especially suited to weapon takes no time at all, but
destroyed by brute force like fighting characters. can be accomplished only once
any unenchanted suit of armor.
Bracelet of Charms: This ap-
Repairing Armor pears to be a nicely-crafted
Guidelines for bracelet of sturdy gold links. It
looks like any other bracelet to
repairing damaged armor are which small charms and me-
presented in the Character Cre- mentos are attached.
ation chapter, under the head-

-lines “Repairing Armor” and

Effects on the Campaign
These rulesfor

calculating damage to armor
add a little complexity to com-

Equipment

per turn. The bracelet itself can The Bracelet of Charms may treasure, he must carry it in his
be used only eight times in a not be used on the sameweapon gear for a month for the cage to
day; turning the bracelet into a as a set of Rings of Readiness. attune itself to him. If its h e
weapon counts as one use, and owner sells it to someone else in
turning the weapon back into a Cage of Shelter: This object the cage’s presence, the cage
bracelet counts as one use. will obey the claps of its new
looks like a large bird-cage that owner immediately.
If the weapon held in the has been neatly folded down
bracelet’senchantment is called into a package about the size of Charm of Favor: When dei-
on, and wielded, and then dis- a medium shield.
armed, the character cannot ties and other powerful beings
call on another weapon from the The user, who can be of any are pleased with the deed of a
bracelet. The bracelet itself is character class, places it upon mortal, they sometimes give
within the weapon. The charac- the ground, steps back from it, him a charm of favor. This is a
ter must retrieve the weapon and claps his hands loudly ei- small charm or statuette, usu-
first, and only then can he use ther two or three times. ally of semiprecious material
its magic. and two or three inches in size,
If he claps his hands twice,the which represents the god or one
A weapon can be taken out of cage grows up into a sturdy of his aspects.
the bracelet’s array. When a metal-framed tent which can
character wishes to do this, he house eight people-you can The charm is rather like a lim-
takes the bracelet off his wrist substitute one horse for four ited wish. It represents a favor
and speaks the name of the people. This tent confers no which the deity will do for the
magical blessing on its inhabit- characterat some time in the fu-
.weapon, and then says the com- ants, but by using it and hud- ture. lb use it, the owner must
dling together for warmth a throw the item on the ground so
mand word . .a reversal of the party can survive a snowstorm hard that it breaks,and then call
that would kill an unprotected out his request.
previousprocedure. party; by erecting it in the des-
The bracelet does not magi- ert, a party can avoid the danger The request must have some-
and discomfort of a sandstorm. thing to do with the attributesof
cally know its owner. Anyone the g o d It’s no use asking the
who steals the bracelet from its If the user claps his hands Goddessof Love to dry up an oa-
owner and discovers what it is three times, the cage grows up sis into a desert, or to ask the
can use it and call the previous into a strong 10‘by 10‘ cell. The God of Earthquakes for a fog to
owner’s weapons forth. door to the cell has the equiva- hide the adventurers.
lent of a wizard lock;the cage’s
This item is best used when owner can open it any time he The god hears it when the fa-
the wielder wants to carry a va- wishes, and any magician with vor is requested. And he, in the
riety of different weapons, and the knock spell can open it by guise of the DM, evaluates the
wants to do so secretly. With a using that spell. A person in the favor. If the favor is something
single warrior, the weapons car- cell would have to make his which pertains to one of his at-
ried might be a long bow and Bend Bars/Lift Gates roll suc- tributes, and if the god does not
quiver (quivers count as part of cessfully (or use a knock) to es- think that the character is mak-
the weapon they carry arrows cape; the door’s lock cannot be ing the request out of mere
for), a bastard sword, a halberd, picked. greed or selfishness, and if be-
and a dagger. This gives the stowing the favor will not con-
warrior the ability to call forth lb return the cage to its origi- flict with any of the god’s other
the weapon best suited to the nal form, the owner claps again, aims or desires,he will grant the
task at hand. twice if it is in tent form, three favor.
timesif it is in cage form. If some-
If a weapon is broken, the one is in it when it is a tent and So it would be appropriate to
bracelet isn’t; the user needs to begins collapsing, it opens up ask the God of Insects to send a
call forth the bracelet, then sep- around the person inside; both cloud of bees to rout one’s ene-
arate the broken weapon from he and it are unhurt. If someone mies, or to ask the Goddess of
it. is in it when it is a cage and be- Love to cause some NPC to fall
gins collapsing, it collapses in love with the player-
Quivers are not magically re- around him, inflicting 2d6 dam- character,or to ask a deity of the
plenished when they’re the size age before it breaks open; there- Earth to cause fruit-trees to
of charms. However many ar- after, it is ruined forever. grow and save the characters
rows are in the quiver when it from death by thirst and starva-
becomes a charm are still in it The cage of shelter knows its tion.
when it becomes a quiver again.
Likewise, a broken bow-string owner. If someone finds it in a
stays broken.

Because the deity is evaluating ing a suit of armor, it appears dealers catch up with them.
the character’s request, the ask- next to him. If the item is some- This magical item may be
ing character cannot expect an thing else, it appears in a fash-
outrageous favor to be granted. ion dictated by the DM; a crown used by characters of any class.
And most enemies who steal the will appear on the character’s Rings of readiness cannot be
charm from the PC cannot use it head, while a sewing machine
successfully; one might take it, would appear next to him, for used on the same weapon as a
hurl it to the ground and break it instance. bracelet ofcharms.
with his request, and find the
cranky god stomping on him and If the item attached to the Sheath of Holding: This item
freeing the faithful PC. (This, larger ring is more than 10miles
however, constitutes using up away, nothing happens. looks like an ordinary sheathfor
the favor.) But an NPC friend of a large knife: the sheath is any-
the owner of the charm might be The use of the rings must be where from 6” to 10” long, in-
able to get the item and ask the announced before initiative in cluding its belt loop.
god to help the charm’s true the combat turn. Use of the
rings takes no time. The charac- But it doesn’t hold a knife. It
owner . . . particularly if he is ill ter calls out the magic word be- holds a sword-a full-sized
fore initiative; then, later in the sword. With magic rather like
or kidnapped and cannot do so turn,when his actionscome up, that found in the bag ofholding,
for himself. the item in question appears. this item slidesmost of the length
of the blade into a pocket dimen-
Any character of any class If a character findsthe smaller sion, so that only the weapon’s
can receive such a charm as a fa- ring without the larger one,then hilt shows, with the sheath sug-
vor. But when they are found in he can summon whatever ob- gesting another 5” or so of blade.
treasure, they are useless; they ject the larger one is attachedto, (Thislooks rather strangewhen it
were not intended for the char- even if it is not his. These rings holds a bastard sword, where the
acter who finds them, after all. recognize no single owner. An hilt will be longer than the appar-
interesting quest in a campaign ent blade, but the sheath ofhold-
The charm of favors does not might be for a character to find ing can do it.)
radiate magic. the smaller of a set of rings and
have to wander to find the larger Each sheath of holding is de-
Rings of Readiness: This ring and summon it and its ob- signed to hold one type of
magical item consists of two ject to him; remember, it only sword. The DM can decide
plain iron rings, one suitable to works within 10 miles of the which sort of sword it’s designed
be worn on a finger and one summoner. to hold, or can roll on the table
larger, some 2” in diameter. below. The sheath will not hold
The magic only works if the a sword it is not built to hold.
The larger ring is to be placed item attached to the larger ring
on some item. It can be sewn is inanimate. Living things are Weapon
into or bolted onto a set of ar- not transported. Roll HeldBy Alternate
mor; it can be placed upon the dlOO Sheath Roll
pommel of a weapon (in which Once summoned, these ob- 01-10 Bastard
case it shrinks until it fits jects may not be sent back. This sword 01-15
snugly); it can be attached to is a one-way trip. 11- 15 Cutlass
any item of personal gear weigh- 16-20 Dagger 16-25
ing less than 100 lbs. The rings may be used any 21-25 Dirk 26-30
number of times; they do not 26-30 Gladius/
When the larger ring is at- wear out. Drusus
tached to an object, and the 31-33 Katana
smallerring is worn by a charac- Many heroes use this magical 34-38 Khopesh 31-35
ter, the character needs only to item so that they never lose 39-43 Knife 36-45
utter the magical word in- their weapons. If the hero finds 44-53 Long sword 46-65
scribed on the inside of the his sword disarmed in combat, 54-58 Main-gauche
smaller ring. When he does, if he can call it to his hand on the 59-68 Rapier
the other ring is within 10miles, nextround,without wasting the 69-73 Sabre
it will instantaneouslytransport time to go get it. Some con art- 74-78 Scimitar 66-75
that object to the character. ists use it to run a scam: They’ll 79-88 Short sword 76-90
secretly attach the larger ring to 89-93 Stiletto
If the item attached to the some great item of treasure, sell 94-98 -0-handed
other ring is a weapon, it will ap- it to a dealer, ride out of town sword 9 1-00
pear in his hand. If the item is a with their money and then sum- 99-00 Wakizashi
suit of armor, it appears on the mon the treasure back. This is a
character; if he is already wear- good tactic until the vengeful

115

Ignore any rolls which are not Other than running, the
appropriate for your campaign horse-spirithas no unusual abil-
setting; if you have no katanas, ities. It cannot be seen or
you don’t need to accept any touched. It can whinny and
rolls for sheathes for katanas.
neigh, and it can buck . . .
The “Alternate Roll” column
is used if you are not using the though only the saddle is seen to
new weapons introduced in The buck in the air. It cannot truly
Complete Fighter’sHandbook. fly; when it comes to a ravine,
for instance, it must descend to
This magical item canbe used the bottom and climb the other
by any characterclass,but most slope as it would have had to do
end up in the hands of warriors if it were alive.
and rogues.
This frightens living horses.
S m W k of the Spirit-Horse: No normal horse will approach
This is a very strange magical the animated saddle within a
item which may only be used by hundred feet. For this reason, it
warriors (either single-, multi-, is best used when the character
or dud-class). is alone and, has his horse killed
out from under him,
it is an or-
saddle of If a characterkills his horse to
wever, it is a get this 24 hours of fast, tireless
If worn by a single service, the ghost-horse will re-
es itself to that
m for three days. .member this and be offendedby
(It doesrl’t have to be worn con-
i t . . even if the characterdid it
Onceit is attunedto the horse,
secretly, by poison or long-
. .nothing remarkable happens distance magic, the horse will
know it. It will allow him to
. unless the horse dies while mount the floating saddle, and
behave normally for a while, but
wearing the saddle. If it does, at some catastrophic time it will
the spirit of the horse stays with try to kill the character. It may
the saddle for another 24 hours. jump off a cliff, or ride him
Half an hour after the horse straight back at the enemy he’s
died, the spirit of the horse will trying to elude, or buck him off
“awaken,” and climb to its un- into a pit of snakes.
Seen feet, and prepare to carry
its master wherever he wants to These saddles may also be
go. The ghost-horse continues made for donkeys, camels, or
to wear the saddleand to carry it any other ground animals. They
don’t work with pegasi,griffons,
around. . .and the horse’smas- or other flying beasts.

ter or other favorite riders may Shield of Medusae: This
ride it during that time. magical item may only be used
by warriors or priests (including
For the next 24 hours, the multi-class and dual-class war-
horse-ghost will tirelessly carry riors or priests).
its rider wherever he wants to
go, at the full running speed the It is shaped like and works
horse could manage when it like a normal medium shield.
was alive. But it’s a spooky But the outside (the side that
sight: The saddle floats in the faces the enemy) is mirror-
air, four or five feet up (at the reflective, and the inside (where
height the living horse carried the warrior’s straps are) is crys-
it); the rider must mount nor- tal clear.
mally, treat the horse as he did
normally,and pretend all is as it To use the shield ofmedusae,
ever was.
the warrior holds it up before
him, in front of his eyes, and
looks through its clear surface.

116

rogues and chaotic warriors, Sheath, Secret Spring: This rolled that he is going to pop out
though any sneaky player- is another item considered use- his blade; when his action
character could acquire one. ful by rogues,street-fighters,as- comes up for that round, if he is
sassins, and characterswishing still able to straighten out his
It consists of a blade identical to appear unarmed. arm, his blade pops into his
in characteristics to the knife, hand and is instantly ready. The
housed in an innocuous rod or It consists of a sheath for one character may still attack this
handle.When the secret catch is of the following weapons: Dag- round: the action of arming
pressed, the blade snaps out in- ger, Knife, or Stiletto. A sheath himself doesn’t use up an at-
stantly and the character is for one of these three weapons tack.
armed. will not hold either of the other
two. It cannot be built for a The Secret Spring Sheath
Usually, the spring-out spike weapon other than these three. weighs l/z pound and costs 35
is built into items the character It is notjust a sheath, but is also gp. It requires someone with
a mechanical device, and is both the Set Snares and
.will be carrying a lot . . and worn on the character’s arm Weaponsmithing proficiencies
just below the elbow. to create. Like the Spring-Out
when he doesn’t wish it to be Spike,it is illegal in most places,
known he’s armed. Common Whenever the character but is a lesser crime, punishable
objects with built-in spikes in- straightens his arm out and by a fine (10d6 gold pieces) and
clude royal sceptres, the ends of flexes it in a certain way, the a few days (ld6) in jail.
quarterstaves (this converts a blade in the sheath pops into his
staff into a spear), and some- hand. The charactermust make ***
times the hilts of swords and a Dexterity ability check to
daggers. Assassinsoften carry a catch it; he gets a +3 bonus be- That’s the end of The C
cause it’s not difficult,but a nat- plete Fighter’s Handbook.
. .dagger with an ordinary blade ural 20 always fails. If he fails to
catch it, it pops straight out and Now that you’ve read it, the
. and a poison-coated spring- drops to the floor. It cannot be thing to remember is this: Use
“shot out” as an attack like a whatever appeals to you, as the
out spike. thrown knife: it will not hurt DM, and nothing more. If any
The spring-out spike weighs whomever it hits, and always rule or recommendationwomes
hits hilt-first when fumbled in you, if you feel that it will u
one pound and costs 40 gp. this fashion. ance your campaign or
When built into an ordinary ob- your players toward bad ha
ject, it adds one pound and 40 This is another way, and a then don’t allow it i
gp to that object’s cost. It cannot non-magical one, for the un- paign. As for all the
customarily be built into an ex- armed character to be suddenly recommendations,
isting weapon: it must be built armed when the need arises. In lines: ‘Ry them. Yo
into the weapon when it is first the combat sequence, he must them.
created. announce before initiative is

The spring-out spike is illegal
in most civilizations. If the au-
thoritiescatch a characterusing
one, they’ll jail him on assump-
tion of assassinationmotives.

Martial Arts Results One-Handed or Two-Handed Weapons

Attack Martial Arts % Weight Speed
Roll Maneuver DmgKO

16 HeadBash 25 Javelin % 5sp 2 L
15 Side Kick 13 One-handed L
14 Elbowshot 11 IItvo-handed 5 s ~2

-I.-O-n-e'-h--a-n-dzd sgp 8 L I
IItvo-handed# 5 g ~ 8 L
I
$ HeadBasl.. 2 10
I
% This weapon is intended for one-handed'ortwoI -hanaed use.
# This weapon inflicts double damagewhen firmly set to receive a

charge.

Combat Modifiers for
Darkness and Blindness

Condition Mel. Mis. Infr.

Piecemeal Armor

Armor Full Breast- TWO une
Type Suit Plate Arms ,

mtal
C E a r k n e ~ ~ -4 -6 + 3
'hilight -1 -2 +1

ew Weapons LJst Tables

Weight I:
(1
Damage

Kama % ) ld12
Olhe-kmded

$ This weak. is intended for one-handeduse, but may be used two-handed (see the rules for ’Wo-Hander
Style Specializationin the Combat chapter).

% This weapon is intended for one-handedor two-handed use.
& This weapon is intended for two-handed use only.
I This weapon inflicts double damage when firmly set to receive a charge.

t The “Type” category is divided into Bludgeoning (B),Piercing (P), and Slashing (S). This indicates the type

of attack made, which may alter the weapon’seffectivenessagainst different types of armor. See the
optional rule in the Player’sHandbook,page 90.

Complete Fighter’s Character Sheet

Character Name: Class:
Player: Warrior Kit:
Race, Sex: Alignment:
Height, Weight: Level:
Hair, Eyes: Experience:
Experience for Next Level:
Age, Appearance:

Strength Hit: ___ Dmg: - Wgt: - Press: - Doors: - BardGates: -
Dexterity
Constitution Reac Adj: - Msl Att Adj: - Def (AC) Adj: -
Intelligence
Wisdom HP Adj: - Sys Shk: - Res Sur: - Pois Sav: - Regen:
~
Charisma
# of Lang: - Sp Lvl: - Lrn Sp: - Sp/Lvl:__ Immun: __

Magic Def: - Bonus Spells: __ % Fail: - Immun: -

Max # Hench: - Loyalty Base: __ Reac Adj: -

Racial Bonuses and Abilities:

Hit Points: Hit Dice Type: d Armor Class:
THACO AttackdRound: Movement Rate:

Saving Throws: Paralyzation/Poison/Death:
Rod/Staff/Wand: Petrification/Polymorph:
Breath Weapon: Spell:

Special Abilities and Restrictions:

Spell Progression: 1s

Warrior Kit Bonus Proficienci

~~

Warrior Kit Benefits:

Warrior Kit Hindrances:

Languages Known: Slots Nonweapon Proficiency Slots

y,Fyeapon Proficiency
;

Complete Fighter’s Character Sheet

Weapons Size 5 P e Speed
Carried Factor

Purpose/Effects

Notes:

121

Complete Fighter’s Combat Sheet (PC Side)

Character’sHP:

“Numbed” Number: (25% of character’sHP, round up from .5)
~

“Useless” Number: - 50% of character’s HP, round up from .5)

Normal Damage = Temporary Damage

Body Modifier Effect if “Numbed” or
Locations “Useless” Number Reached
To Hit

nrso -0 No Effect
Head -8* DM Chooses or Rolls ld6:

Arms -4* 1) Blind: attackers get +4 to hit
Legs -4* 2) Deaf: character cannot hear
Stun Points -8* 3) Dizzy: check Dexterity at -4
4) Knockdown: character knocked down

5) Blind and Deaf: as above
6 ) Dizzy and Knockdown: as above

Drop Held Weapon; Shield Does Not Help A(
Check Dexterity to Stay Upright

Movement is Halved; Attackers get +2 to hit

Called Shot: announced before initiative, + 1to initiative roll

Combat Attack Maneuver Result
Maneuver Modifier

Called Shot* -4 Varies
-4 1-handweapon flies 2d6 feet;
Disarm * 2-hand weapon or sh
-4 Gets hand(s) on obje
Grab* -0 Attack waits until later in round
-0 Announce before initiative;
Hold Attack successful parry stops enemy attack
-4 Enemy’sweapon pinned against him
Pin -0 Successful attack knocks enemy down
Pull/Bip -8 Damage X 5%=KO change (40%max)
-0 1-3 points damage ( +Strength bonus)
Sap* -0 As shield-punch +knockdown chance
-0 Basic attack with weapon or empty hanc
Shield-Punch
Shield-Rush
Strike/Thrust

hot. announced before initiative, + 1to initiative roll

1

Player-Characters and Their Allies

Character Name Class/Level THACO Attacks AC

Non-Player Characters and Idt!&ste& 1

Character Name Class/Level THACO I AC

Attacks

Warrior Kit: Warrior Kit Creation Sheet
Campaign:
Dungeon Master: Special Benefits:

Role: Special Hindrances:
Secondary Skills:

Weapon Proficiencies: Wealth Options:
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Races:
Equipment:
Notes:

1

The

Who says figEt*ersare the poor cousins of ADS.D@
game? No ohhe will ~ F Y2 ! aloud after reading the
Complete Fighter's Handbook; 128 pages of mind-
--panding advice cn Cot:, to make your figb+-r the i
I anest. Nmeweawneeaspt otnhsre, s:ihriwrr-gpromfiacciheinnceiefso,rqelweafgiguhets-
around. I
Jnp styles, and "tighter Kits'' make this optional
A%.D accessory a u d c ! item f

TSR, lnc. mur:dze C l t 319
United Kingdcn
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Lake Geneva, a DRAGON<
WI 53147
U.S.A. and ihe TSR logo are
rmred ~nthe U S A
ADKD ACVAE'-
PRODUCTS OF YOUR IM

-1989 TSR In' A l l R ~ g