PHBR1 - The Complete Fighter's Handbook

The Drus us also h as a dIsad - lariat settles over Ule ta rget. giv· m a ke S tre ngth a bility rolls . If he
van tage. In o rder to kee p ils ing the wielde r the c ha nce to roUs h is beller than you roll
keen edge. it m ust be regularly dis m ount him . pu ll him to tllC you rs, the la sso Is lOrn from
grou nd. trip him, e lC. you r hands and you take Id2
s ha rpened wi th a lo t ma rc a uen- damage. If you ro ll yours be tter
In o the r words . whe n you a t· than he rolls h is. you yank him
Uo n a nd time tha n an ordina ry tack someone with a lasso. you from his saddle a nd he ta.kes
wea pon requires. Afier any day m ust declare what you 're trying I d 3 fro m Impac t. with the la s so
In w hich the Drus us ha s been to accomplis h wi th the a ttack. and the ear th , If yo u bo th make
foug ht w ith (even one a ttack!). you r roll by the sam e a mounl.
som eon e wit h e ilh e r th e Ar- If you ' re trying to trip him . t he n both resu lts occ u r; th e
m orer o r Weapons mith second · you ' re trying to m ake the loop la sso Is yanked fr o m y our
ary s kU!. o r the Blacks mithin g . se ttle abou t his legs . T his re- ha nds, d Oing Id2 to yo u . and
Ar more r. or Weaponsmithln g quires a call ed Sho t a t th e legs hc's yanked from his ho rse . tak·
n on weapon proficien cy. mu s t as per the Hit Locations section ing Id 3. (InCide ntally, If you've
s harpen the blad e fo r half an of the Combat Rules c hapter. had lim e to lie yo ur rope to an
hour ___ or, on th e nex t day, It abso lu te ly s ta tionary o bj ec t.
If you hit. he m us t make a like a bou ld c r. you don ' t ha ve to
will act as an ordinary s hort roU agains l your S trength abll ·
s word (losing Its to·h it and dam · Dex te rity a bility roll . with the ity; you w in this con test unless
age bonus ) u n til It Is so s harp- us ual mod ifie rs for the P ullffiip you r targct rolls a 1. in which
e ned . m a neuve r: if he fai ls , he fa lls. case the rope breaks and he ca.n
and if he s ucceed s . he 's able to ride o ff la ug h ing. )
Exposure to hig h heat (a ju m p ou t of your loop before it
smith's fo rge. dragon 's breath , cl o s e s . If you ' re trying to lasso a tar·
la \'a. etc.) w ill ru in the te mper get's head {for example . whe n
on a Drus us, turning It In to a n If you 're trying to pin his arms yo u ' re u p in a tree a nd yo ur tar·
o rdina ry short sword a nd fo r· to h is s ides, you ' re try ing to ge t Is a n uns u s pec tin g g ua rd
e ver destroy ing Its to·h it and m a ke the loop settle abou t his wa lking below} , this Is a Called
damage bonus . torso a nd arms. Th is requires a S hOllOhis Head as per the us ua l
Called Shot at lhe arms as per rules .
The Drusus uses the same the Hit Loca tions section of th e
Comba l Rules c ha pt er. If . a fter the modifie rs . you stili
weapon proficie ncy as the sho rt h it. you can ya n k fo r Id3 dam ·
If you hil. he m ust ma ke a age (pl us you r S tre ngth bonus ).
s word. If a c haracter can us e a Stre ngth a bility ro ll . ag a in with On subseque nt rou nds , you can
s hort sword. he can use a Dru · the us ual modifi ers for pu llmip. ya nk for I point of da mage eac h
s us wit h equ al proficien cy. If he s ucceeds. he sh rugs the (plus you r Stre ngth bonus ). Bu t
Weapon s pec iali zatio n with o ne loop off before you can p ull it If you ' re in a pos ilion to hois t
does tTansfeT t.o the olher. ta ut. If he fai ls. you pull the loop your ta rget u p In the a ir (for in-
tauL Bot h o f h is a r m s a re s la nce. If you 're u p on a tree·
In cu ltures w here there a re pin ned . as in the Pin man e uver. branc h . lasso your vic tim . a nd
g la d iators. a n y w eapons mith The target gets to s truggle each then d rop off the branc h o n the
with a wca ponsmilhing ability other s ide. hold ing o nlOthe rope
check of 14 or belter can make a round . a lso as per the Pin rna· io ho is t your victim upl, you d o
Drus u s for th e cost s hown. your vlclim I d4 points of s tran o
ne uver rules. Each additional g u lat io n d a m age pe r round
These weapons a re seldom ex· la sso tha t h its the target to pin (Strength bon us docs nol a pply
ported . as local dem and Is hig h h im gIves him a -4 to his to this). If he can get h is k n ife
fo r th e fe w m a d e . A fo re ig n S tTength ability for purposes of free and cut him se lf loose, tha l's
weapons mlth could not make h is s truggli ng. When h is good ror him ; If not. it ·s good ror
o ne m ere ly If It were d escribed S trength reaches O. he has no you . While s trang li ng, a vic Um
to h im : he wou ld have to s tudy chance of esca ping . cannot s hout or raise the alarm .
with a local weaponsmJth . Hav·
ing done so, he could m ake the [( you 're trying to dismount a If you 're trying to drop your
weapon . rider. you 're try ing to m a ke the loo p a ro u nd t he h ea d of a
loop settle a bout h is to rso- a nd m o unted rider .. . well . it's diffi·
Lasso the n b ra ce yourself for the 1m· cult , bu t poSsible . Ma ke it as a
pact (when his m o u nt's m ove' stand ard Ca ll ed Sh o t to the
Th e lasso, or me n t reac hes the end of yOllr head.
rope. both yOU a nd he a re going
lariat. Is a le ng th o f rope w ith a lo be j arred ). This doesn ' t re o
loop at the en d : th e wi e ld e r quire a Called S ho t: You m us t
holds the s lack in his off-hand. m erely hit your target no rma lly.
tw irls th e lasso In h is o th er
ha n d. and hurls the loop at h is If you hit. both you and the
target. On a s uccessfu l h it. the un fo rtun a te ride r mus t now

.8

If you hi!. you must again of the player·characters' cui· s uccessful hit. the victim loses 4
make your Strength abil it y lure. points of effective Strength for
check. Jfhe wins It , he takes ld4 purposes of breaking free of the
damage from th e Impact of the If It Is not. a PC need only train net. If the victim wins a
lasso arou nd his neck going taut with someone who has pron· Strength ability check against
. , . bu t the lasso is stU! yanked ciency with m e weapon (and the his captor before his Strength
from you r hand. doing Id2 to PC must have a free weapon drops to O. he breaks free (and
you . and he can ride 01T. If you proficiency slot ) in order to learn his Strength Is nonnal for all
win It. he takes 2d6 damage how to make and use the lasso. other purposes). if he fails , and
from the Im pact. another Id3 his Strength Is brought down to
from hilling the grou nd , and N.t O. he Is hopelessly enmeshed in
he 's dismounted . If you both the net and cannot get out until
The gladia· his captor lets him.
make It by a n equal amount, he tors' net cons islsof a small (8' to
12' diameter) circular net with When a gladiator throws a net
takes Id4 . is dismounted a nd weights around me edge and a and misses, It Is open and un·
takes an addllional l d3. and trailing rope used for control. folded . That doesn ·t mean he
you take ld2 from the lasso be· Customari ly, It Is folded In s uch
Ing ya nked out of your hands. a manner that It will twirl ope n can no longer nght with It . , .
Ilf. in this example, you 've had whe n thrown: the gladiator but ills nOI as accurate, because
time to lie th e other e nd of your lhrows it with one hand. keep·
lasso to an absolu tely st'alionary Ing a grip on the trailing rope It 's not folded right. Each subse·
object, your target sUli gelS his with lhe other. quent roll to hit with the un·
roll . On a 1. the rope breaks and fold ed net Is at a -3 to hit.
he lakes Id4 damage . OLher· If the gladia tor makes his roll
wi se. he ·s automa tica lly dis· to hit, he has a Pin maneuver on With a properly·folded net. an
mounted a nd takes 3d6 his target (see the rules for Pin attacker can perform Disarm.
m a ne uver rrom th e Combal Parry a nd Pin maneuvers. Once
d a m age. Rules chapter). All lhe notes on a net Is unfolded, such attacks
Such a maneuver. hard as It Is Pin apply here, except one: the are at a - 3 to hit.
nelled character may not make
to set up, cou ld easily break any sort of attack on the neuer Weapon proficiency with the
someone's neck. killing him in· until he's won a Strength ability net also give you the abUity to
check and lhrown that net oIT. fo ld the net properly, and to
stan tly.} make fi ghting·nets . Weapon
In the chart above. the lasso On the round after the gladla· Specialization gives you the nor·
tor has netted his opponen t, he mal + I to hit: since it cannot
was listed as a large weapon be· has a choice of what he wants to give you a +2 to damage (the
cause of the a mou nl of s pace It net doing no damage). you get
takes to twlrl and wield it. do. that +2 as a bonus to your
He can hold onto the trailing Strength when you're making
You cannot perform a Parry or Strength ability checks against
Disarm with the lasso. or use it. rope wlLh his off·hand (In order neu ed prey.
as a melee weapon for Pin - only to main tain the Pin), pull out an·
othe r weapon with his fre e Cu ltures with gladiatorial
at range. hand , and attack his prey with combat do export s uch weap·
Lasso requires its own tha t weapon . Eventually, his ons, and the knowledge of their
prey will probably win a use (gladiators do demonstra·
weapon proficie ncy, which is Strength ab ility check and tions and exhibitions in foreign
shrug that net 01T: in the mean· capitals all the time) . Also. cui·
not rela ted to any other weapon time, the gladiator may get sev· tures with no knowledge of glad·
pronclency. Weapon spectaliza· era l round s of unreturned latorial combat IndependenUy
lion gives you the normal + I to attack on him . develop the net weapon skill: at
hit with the lasso a nd +2 dam· the DM's discretion, a ny charac·
age on all damaging elTeclS of Alternatively, he can try to im· ter with lhe Savage warrior kit,
the lasso (strangulation after the prove his hold on the target. By the Hunter secondary sklll or
Initial hit is stili only Jd4, not continuing to loop the trailing Hunting nonweapon profl·
Id4 +2). rope around his victim. he can clency, or any good rationale
Improve the capture until the could spend a weapon profi·
Cu ltures with gladiators are victim has no chance of escape. clency slot to learn the use of the
nOt lhe only ones which come 1b do t his, he must make an or·
up with the lasso. Clv\llzatio ns dlnary rollto·hit against his vic· net.
which depend heavily on herd· tim 's AC each round . On each
beasts orten have the lasso as a
weapon . In some cultures, the
lasso Is a favorite weapon of as·
sasslns. !L's u p to the DM to de·
termlne if the lasso is a weapon

99

' lrilte Weilpons page 97: me tal gauntlets and G.. W H o o k
other metal hand·protection
The world of makes tha t ld3 plus strength The gaff is a
piracy doesn't dcmand that pI- bonus and punc hing e ffec ts . metal hook with a wooden or
rates use any specific weapons Note: An encha nted cutlass. say metal crossbar at the base; It's
.. . but fo r reasons of lIadlUon a cutlass + 1. does not confer the he ld In one hand. the hook pro-
and convenience. some speclnc + I to hit and damage wllh these truding between the middle a nd
weapons are very commo n to pi· bas ket·hllt punc hes ... on ly ring Onge rs. and nonnally used
rate crews. with blade attacks.) to hook and land fis h.

In addi Uon to the new weap- Proficie ncy with Cutlass Is reo However. like the be laying
ons on the c hart above. pirates lated to proOclency with s hort pin, It 's In ready supply onboard
are readily familiar with: Battle sword. dagger/dirk. knlfe/sUlet- a ship. Also. many pirates who
axe. Bow (all ty pes ). Club. to, and main·gauche. Weapon
Crossbow (all normally ·avall- SpcclaJlzaUon with Cutlass is lose a hand have a cup with a
able types), OaggcrlDirk, Ha nd/ nonnal, except that you also get
throwing axe. Harpoon, Javelin. the + 1 to hit and +2 damage gaffon it attached to the stump.
Knife , Polearm /Awl pike. with those basket ·hilt pu nches, a nd so always have a weapon
Poleann /Partlsan, Scourge "on hand" -one that can't be
(mostly for disciplinary pur- In a campaign w ll.h pirates, dropped or Disarmed.
poses). SUng, Spear, Sword (all cutlasses are common and read·
but Kh opeshl . Trident. and ily available In any port com mu · ProOclency with the galT Is not
Whip (also mostly for discipli- nity: th ey are muc h less related to a ny other profiCiency,
nary purposes). common inland. SpeCialization g rants the usual
benefits.
Additionally, the world of the BeloAylng rln
Pirate ovcrla pped that of the s...murill Weapons
Swashbuckler to a considerable T he be lay ing
degree, With the DM's pennls· pin is a s hon rod o( wood. or The exoLic.
sian (and there's usually little metal. It 's Inserted In a hole oriental world features many
reason to deny II), Pirates may bored through the ship's rail. weapons which are strange to
have access to all the weapons and ship's ropes are ma de fast western eyes, , , including the
listed o n the cha rt above and de- (Ued) to it. It can a lso be yanked eyes of the pes In most cam-
sc riptions be lo w fo r Swash- free and brought In violent can· paJgns.
bucklers. taCt with enemies; In a pirate
fi g ht. anyone wh o loscs a Many of these weapons sim-
T he new weapons for Pirates weapon or starts out wit hou t ply look a little dlf(ere nt and
Include: one ends up with a belaying pin bear different names. Old, famil ·
in his hand. lar weapons with slightly
Cutlass changed forms and na mes In-
Weapon proOclency wllh Be- clude: the Baltle axe , Hand axe .
The c utlass Is laying Pin Is rclated 10 clubs and Dagger (tanto). Ha lberd, Jave·
a short. hcavy sword, s harp maces; If you have proOc lency lin . Lig h t la nce. Mace , Pike ,
along only one edge, with a with club or mace. you take o nly Spear. Lo ng sword, Short
heavy basket hilt (a protecUve a - I when using a belaying pin sword . 1Wo-handed sword (no-
cup) around the hilt to protect you don' t have proOclency for. dalchl), a nd Trident. These
the hand, Weapon specialization with be- weapons have game character-
laying pin gives the usual bene· is tics identical to the normal
The cutlass' baske t hilt pro- fits. versions. and proOclency with
vides the following beneOts: It the common weapon worksJust
gives the wielder a + I to hit Belaying pins are very availa- as well with the more exotic ver-
with the Parry maneuver; and H ble on any ship: you can get any sion.
works Just the same as a n Iron number of them a t a seasid e
gauntlet If the wielder wis hes to town or ci ty. especially a t a ship- The new samurai-society
punch someone with the hilt buildcr's, a warehouse. or a weapons li sted In the c hart
ralher than slash wIth the blade, business that supplies ships. above Include:
(See the Player's Ha ndboo k.
pages 97·98. Barc-hand attacks 10 Stick
do I d2 damage. plus strength
bonus. and the other effects of The bo stick is
Punching from the chart on an ordinary hardwood staff, the
height ora man or sligh tly taller.

Be stick shares a pro nclcncy
with Quarterslaff. lfyou can use

100

one, you can use the other. (This Chains are to be found in any and al the Up. but it is sharp·
doesn't mean that the lwostyles civilization wi th the technologi· ened to a razo r 's edge. It is
are Identica l: an oriental bo cal skill to make them (th is In- forged with a specia l technique
stick fighter looks very different cludes most AD&D®ca mpaign known only In the easl. where
In combat than a western quar· settingsl. but the technique of layers of steel and iron are san d-
terstaff combatant. But if they fighting wit h them Is mosUy an wiched. heated. fol ded,
t raded weapons. they'd be just eastern·cul ture development. A stretched. re-folded. stretched.
as good with ule other guy's character would have to study re·fold ed . on and on un W the
weapon . .. each in his ow n blade consists of microscopi-
style.) Weapon specialization in with a practit ioner of t he tech- cally thin layers of alternatin g
bo stick gives you the usual ad· m etals. providing streng th . re-
vantages. nique. and be able to spend a silience. and the abi li ty to hold a
weapon proficiency slot. in or· remarkable edge. This Is why
Bo slicks are common every· der 10 learn how to u se th e the katana has th e excellent
where; any 6' or 7' hardwood weapon. speed and damage listed for th e
walking staff is a bo slalT. To use weapon.
It as su ch . howe\'er. you have to Da lkyu
have the bo slickJquarters taff The katana reqUires Its own
weapon profiCiency. The prl· T he daikyu is weapon proficie ncy. which is reo
mary di fference between the the great sam urai longbow. It's lated to the bastard swordllong
weapons. and th e reason the 7 ' long (hence its size deslgna· blades grou p. Weapon special!·
quarterstaff does more damage tlon of LJ. Its hand·grl p is nOI in zation confers the usual bene·
against Large monsters. Is that the center of the weapon: it's 10- fits.
the combat quarterstaff has caled closer to the bot tom . so
Iron·shod. even lead·welgh ted the daikyu can be fired from Katanas arc very personal : a
ends. (A quanerstaffwhich does horseback and from kneeling samurai Is dishonored (fhe loses
not have these featu res shou ld poS i tions . his. and so very few arc los(.
do damage Identical to the bo This means t hat It is very hard
stick .) As with other bows. the to gel one in t he west. other than
dalky u can be used to perform by taking it from its owner . . . a
Chain t he Called Shot. Disarm . Hold difficult task. In t he east. a char·
Attack. and Strike/Thrust (I.e.. actcr might be willi.ng to com-
This w eapon shoot) maneuvers. mission one from a wea·
is a 6 ' or 10' length of chain with ponsmith. for the listed price .. .
weights al both ends. In com· T he dalkyu and katana are If he gets a good reaction roll
bat. It's w hirled vcry fast. the the two principal weapons of tile from th e NPC. (An ordin ar y
weighted end inflicting the dam· samurai. weaponsmii.h could not make
age on the target. one. T he blade·maklng tech-
The daikyu requires its own nique requires stu dy In the east
The chain combines some of weapons proficiency. It Is reo and the learning ofa spec ialized
the useful lralts of melee weap· lated l O. but nOI Identical to. Individual weaponsmiLhlng
ons and the lasso. You can at· other bow proficleneles. nonwcapon proficiency.)
tack with it for nonnal Called Weapon specialization con fers
Shots. Disarm. Parry. and the usual benefits. Also. a hero who does a favor
StrikelThrusl maneuvers. Addl· or performs a mission for an
tlonally. you can perform three The dalkyu is n01 exported
of the lasso's five special func- from east.ern nations. However. eastern lord might bc awarded a
tions: Pull/Trip by str iking at a It is a Sim ple task. if you arc In
target's legs. Dismount a Rider. such a nation. to commission matched sel of katana and wakl-
and Snag a Rider's Head. the making of one. A western zashl. if he's vcry lucky: th is
bowyer wou ld have to have would be a high h onor.
The chain Is easy to conceal. studied in the east to make on e.
and (alleasL i.n west ern lands) is Naglnata
nOt usually recognized as a The katana Is
weapon until wielded as one. th e samurai's sword . It·s a Th is Is a po·
medium ·length. slightly curved
The chai n requires Its own blade with no qulllions (only a learm. a 6' to 8' shaft wi th a
weapons proficiency. w h ich Is small. circular guard ) and a hilt
not related to any other weapon. suitable for one·handed and curved. sword-like blade at the
Weapon specialization confers two-handed u sc . The blade Is end. It's the favored weapon of
the usual bonuses. sharpened only along one edge the female fighters of the orient.,
but they are not limited to it. nor
Is it limited to them .

101

Naginata proficiency is re- Ing two types of damage: P Tetsubo
lated to a U other polea rm s. (piercing) and B (bludgeoning).
Weapon specialization confers That's not quite right: the nor- The telSubo is
the usual benefits. mal saJ is on ly a Bludgeoning- a long walking-staff. Its upper
damage weapon. However. e nd shod with stu dded Iron
Naglnatas are readily availa- certain warriors prefer for It to strips.
ble In oriental ports. a nd s uch be a sharp stabbi ng weapon. so
weapons are readily exported. if the damage may be Piercing In- Its weapon profiCiency Is re-
the DM says there Is a market stead. A sal may only have one lated to other polearms: special-
for them. type of damage. not both . ization confers the usual
benefits.
Nunchaku Sal req uires ils own profi-
ciency. which is not related to letsubos can be had In orien-
The nunchaku any other. Weapon speciali za- tal markets. but none are ex-
consists of two lengths of ha rd tion confers the usual benefits. ported because It Is a relatlvely
wood connected by a short To learn the proficie ncy. one simple weapon to make.
length of chain or rope. must study with someone who
has Il. and the character must Wak l zash l
The weapon can be used to have a weapon proficiency slot
perform Called Shots, Disarm, to spend. The wakizashl
Parry, and StrikelThrust rna· Is the s hort-sword compan ion of
neuvers. Many warriors proficient in the katana. Its blade is forged
the sal take Sty le Speciali zation the same way. and the weapon
Nunchaku requires Its own In 1\vo-Weapon technique and looks like a shorter version of
proficiency. which is nOl related utilize twin sal in combat. the katana. It Is often part of a
to any other weapons profi- matched set with the katana.
ciency (Including nails). Weapon Sal are readily available in ori- and Is of almost equal Impor-
specialization confers the usual ental ports. and are exported. tance as the katana to thesamu-
benefits. Masters of me weapon ral. Only samurai can wear both
often have weapon speclaliza- Shurlken katana and waklzashl.
tlon In nunchaku and Style Spe-
cialization In 'TWo·Weapons Shurlken. of- Waklzashi proficiency Is re-
Style. giving them the ablilty to ten called throwing stars. are lated to short sword. Specializa-
fight effectively with nunchaku smalllh rown weapons. They do tion confers the usual benefits.
In elmer hand. The only way to as m uch damage as a thrown Many samurai fight with the ka-
acquire this proncle ncy is to dagger. and are considerably tana In one hand and waklzashl
study with someone who al- more concealable. Ornamental In the other. in two-weapon
ready has the proficiency, and to shurike n can oft en be worn as technique. and some learn the
have a proficiency slot available Jewelry and not recognized as two-weapon s tyle speCialization
to spend on nunchaku. weapons. and a pocketful of to further improve their abUity
shuriken weigh no more than with this s tyle.
Nunchaku are readily availa- many other single weapons.
ble In oriental ports. and Stich Waklzashis are as hard to
weapons are exported: western However. sh urlke n require come by as katanas.
collectors are quite enthusiastic their own weapon proficiency.
about them . even if these collec- which is not related to any Note
tors usually can nOl use them. other. Weapon specialization
confers the usual benefits. Th The AD&D«J
Sal learn shurlken proficiency. one game supplement Oriental Ad-
must study with someone who ventures deSCribes many. many
This is a shorl. has It. and-must have a weapon other weapons and provides a
defensive weapon. consisting of proficiency slot to spend. lot of resource material for ori-
a metal bar with a hilt. and over- ental characters a n d cam-
sized upward-curvlng qUillions. Shuriken are available in ori- paigns . A certain amou nt of
When used by someone with ental ports. but most OCCidental conversion is required. as the
proficiency in the weapon. sa.! collectors don 't know how to s upplement was written for the
confer a + 1 to hit bonus when use them. first-edition game.
using the Pin and Disarm ma-
neuvers.

In the chart at the start of this
chapter. the Sal is listed as hav-

.02

SUol.ge Weol.pons less money, do less damage. and damage more modern weapons
are more prone to shattering. will do. will make the switch ...
The lump though they're likely to sUck to
term "savages" is being used The damages and costs the lypesofweapons they know
here to refer to any number of (should some ever be sold on the best (spears. bows, daggers.
different types of people. They market) fo r these weapons are et c .).
have In common these traits: given on lhe chart above.
They're not as technologically Remember, Lhough. that the
advanced as the normal peoples Stone weapons have a chance club Is the same weapon regard-
of Lhe campaJgn. though some of breaking every time they hit less of technological advance·
do make weapons of bronze or and do damage . Every time a ment: the surliest caveman can
Iron: and they 're probab ly stone weapon successfully hits make a club that has the
hunter·gatherers who have not a target. the player must. roll weapon Slats of the most mod-
yet em braced Lhe agricultural Id6. Regardless of the roll. this ern baseball bat.
revolution . And thal's really all attack does Us full damage. but
they have to have In common. on a roll of 1 on the 1d6. the Also, player-characters might
"Savages" might be highly c uI· weapon or weapon-head shat· find th emselves stripped of
tured, artistic. peaceful peoples. ters and is useless. weapons and cast adrift tn the
but if they have dirt floors or wilderness. If they want weap·
flint·tipped weapons. the rest of Bone Weapons ons. they'll have to make them.
the world calls them savage. For possibly of stone or bone. For
our purposes. "savages" en- Bone weapons these purposes. too. the weapon
compasses Neanderthal man. are likewise used like their mod· Slats above can be useful.
Old Stone Age era-magnan, and ern counterparts. but are worth
New Stone Age modern men, even less money. can on ly be Sw ashbudder Weol.pons
used with smaller stabbing
Stereotypical savages know weapons (knives and daggers). Swashbuckler
the following weapons : Blow- and shatter even more readlly- weapons are light. fast weapons
gun (mostly jungle lrlbes). Long on a roll of I or 2 on Id6. used by IIghtly·armored oppo·
and Shan bow (no composite nents. usually in an environ-
bows). Club. Dagger. Handl Other Uses for ment fa culture, nation or even
Throwing Axe. Javelin. Knife, just a city) where heavier arms
SUng. and Spear. Stone and lIone Weol.pons and armor are illegal or out·
dated. They're also appropriate
Depending on their level of Genera ll y. no for shipboard campaJgns and sit·
tech nological deve lopme nt. one In his right mind is going to uaUons: the light annor is easier
they may make their weapons trade In nice. modern steel to get out ofso you don't drown if
(including arrow heads. spear- weapons for bone or stone coun· you fall overboard. So. usually.
heads. etc,) out of Iron, bronze, terparts. But characters don't swashbucklers emerge In an
stone or even bone. alway s have the choice. area where the days of the plate·
armored. broadsword·wleldlng
For our purposes. Iron and Characters with the Savage knight are past .. . or at least
bronze weapons have the same warrior kit start out with the numbered. Swashbuckler char·
characteristics as steel weap- level of weapons the DM decides acters might bolt on the plate
ons: U's not wonh generating for him: " Modern:' stone or mail and pick up the lance for
all·new weapon stats for the bone. In a campaign where most genuine warfare. but In their cos·
slight game·mec hanlc differ- savages are simp ly hunter- mopolitan big-city adventures
ences. gatherers who live at a certain they stick to the lighter stuff ...
distance from the PCs' culture. and can be sure that most of the
Stone and bone weapons. on but who trade and Interact with opponents they face will be lijte-
the other hand. require their them . modem weapons are fine. wise armed and armored.
own stalistics. which Is why When the savage culture is far
they' re represented on the away and more technologically Weapons from the Player's
weapon chart at Lhe top of the prlmillve. stone weapons are Handbook which can be consld·
chapter. more appropriate. If the savages ered swashbuckler weapons in·
are supposed to be very priml· c1ude: Bows (all types).
Stone Weapons tive Indeed, bone weapons are Crossbows (all available types),
the proper choice. In all Ukell- DaggerlDlrk. Knife. Polearms
Stone weap- hood, Lhese savage characters. (all types). and Short Swords.
ons are used just like Lhelr mod- reaching more advanced lands The only sorts of shields they
ern counterpans, but are worth and seeing how much more

'03

use regu larly are buc kle rs a nd The rapier is a New Armor
small s hields. and they lend to long-bladed. one- handed sword .
wear only lea Lher. padded. a nd norm ally s ha rp onl y a t th e Some or the
hide armor. point. It's a thrusUn g weapon , new warrior types represe nted
wielded with ligh tn ing-li ke by the warrior kits also have
The new weapons list cd on thrusts and lunges. Swashbuck· their own special forms of ar-
the chart above Includ e: le rs ofte n learn 1\vo-Weapon mor: the Gladiator and Samurai
Style Special!zaUon and use ra- both In troduce new forms or a r-
Sdletto pier with rapie r. with main- mor to the campaign .
gauc he, with s hort sword. or
The s tiletto Is with dagge r. s tiletto. or knife. T here are
a type of narrow·bladed knife. It ·s also occasional ly used with three normal types of gladiator
s harp on ly at the point. Its m osl buc kler_ armor: T h rac ian. Gallic . and
unusual lrait is that It confers a
+ 2 (non·maglcalJ bonus to hit Rapier requires its own profi- Samnite.
agains t certain armor ty pes : ciency. whic h Is related to sabre
Plate mall (bronze a nd normal). proficiency- not long sword Armor Type Armor
ring mail. and chai n mall . (This and its related weapo ns. Th racia n Class
is beca use IlS narrow point and Weapon speciali zation con rers Gallic
b lade slip In more readily the usual benefits. Sam n lte 9
Lhrough a ny sort of armor that 7
Is not solid metal or overlapping You can have a rapier made
plates of metal.) with a bas ke t hill. Th is adds 2 5
gp to the cost. + I lb. to the
It otherwise behaves like a ny weight. and confers the normal They're all made up from sev ·
other knife . and Knife weapon basket-hil t benefits: + I to hI! eral smaller pieces of armor.
proficie ncy is exactly the same wi th Parry man euve r. a nd the which incl ude :
as Stiletto weapon proficiency: iron-gau ntle t benefit fo r Punc h-
If you know one. you know the w gt
other equally well . at no addi- ing.
tional COSt in proficiency s lots. Armor Piece Cost (Ibs)

Belt :

Protective metal

belt a t waist 2 gp 5

The main· The sabre Is a Cu irass:
gauche Is a large-bladed dagger light slashing weapon . Its prac-
with a basket hill (see the de· titioners commonly use only sa- Leather or me ta l
scription of Cutlass. above) and bre. and ofte n take
large qulllions. Though It Is a Slngle·Weapon Style Specializa- chest plate 50 gp 20
stabbing weapon . It's primarily tion and Sabre Weapon Speciali-
a defensive weapon wielded In zatio n. They are ve ry deadly Fa s c ia e :
th e left- ha nd in tw o-wea pon with their blades a nd may be In-
teChnique (or two-weapon sty le ordinately proud of the facial Leathe r bands
speclallzallon)_ scars they accum ulate (and deal
on legs 10 gp 5
Whe n used by someone with OUI) .
Mai n- gauche wea pon profi- Galea :
Sabre requires Its ow n profi-
ciency_ the weapon confers a + I Cie ncy. which is related to ra pie r Visored Helmet 10 gp 5
proficiency.
bonus to hit with the Disarm Galerus:
and Parry m a ne uve rs. Because Sabres. like cu tlasses a nd
of lLS cu tlass-like basket hilt. the Shoulde r piece
maln ·gauc he. too. wor ks like an maln-gauches. are made with a
iron ga untlet If the wielder basket hilt. This confers the nor- on wea pon
wishes to punch someone with mal basket-hill be nefits: + I to
the hUI ra the r than slash with hit with Parry maneuver. and shoulde r 5 gp 3
the blade. the Iro n-gaun llet benefit for
Man icae:
Main-gauche proficiency is reo Punc hin g.
la ted to. but not Id en llca l to. l.eath er s leeve to gp 5
dagger proficiency. SpeclaIl 7.3-
tion confers the u sual benefits_ Myrrm tllo:

Visored helm

resembling

sea fish 10 gp 5

Also used by the glad ia tors
arc the parma (a small shield. ei-

ther square or round) and scu-

fum (an oblong med ium s hield).

These armor types are named
for rea l-world sites (Thrace.

Gaul. a nd Sam nos): If you have

104

gladiaLOrs In your campaign. So1m nftc studded leather. scale mail. and
you may wam to rename these brigand lne: basic costs.
types according to place-names The most weights. and AC va lu es are
marc a ppropriate to your set- heavily-armored type of glad ia- Ide ntical to Lhe western armor
lin g. tor. the Samnlte. wears a cui- styles . However. a samurai may
rass. fasciae on his legs. ma nlca wish to s pend more than Lhe
Thro1d,ln o n his weapon arm. and the ga- minimum a mount on his ar-
lea helmet. His basic AC Is 5. o r mor; the extra money goes Into
The Thracian 4 with the scutum he carries. making It a remarkable exam-
glad iator wears only fasciae on ple of eastern art.
his legs . Th is gives him AC 9. or Should someone just wcar the
B with a shie ld-and he carries a cuirass. his base AC would be 7. Ko te
shield. a parma. In glad iatoria l
combat. the Thrac!an gladiator Samurai Armor The samurai
Og hts o nly with a dagger. In the also have one sort of annor un-
fi eld . adventuring. he co uld usc The main dif- known to the west: The kate.
anyLhlng he wan ts . ference between orie ntal and oc- This Is a pair of armored sleeves
cidental armor. from a which may be worn conceaJed
G.lllc game-mechanics point of view. under the samuraI's tuniC.
Is descriptive. Orienta l armor Is
Th e Ga llic colo rful and elaborate ly con- Mecha nically. Lhe kate costs
gladiator wears Lhe gaJea. the struc ted. often brightly enam- twice as much as and acts al-
belt. manica on his weapon elled or decorated with paint or most the same as a bu ckle r.
arm . and fasciae. This confers painted leathers. s il k cords . There a rc a couple of differences
an AC of7 . He a lso carries a scu- precious-meta l plating. etc. between bu ckler and kate.
tum . to bring It toa 6. The GaJlic thoug h . Kate can not be Dis-
gladiator fi ghts with any num· But from a game- mecha nic armed. and you can use weap-
ber of weapons. poi nt of view. leather a rm or Is ons In the hands of Lhe arms to
leather armor. plate Is plate . which kote are attacked. The
Samurai wear armor that Is the
equivaJent of padded leather.

105

fact that kOle consists ofa paJrof The armor a character wears pushed down and sat upon with
sleeves doesn't mean you get a affects hi s AC, his Encum- comparative ease.
+2 bonus to AC; only the + 1 brance (If lha l opLionaJ syste m
is used). and a lso his ability 10 Nothing cou ld be further from
normally conferred by a buc k- perform dexterous acUons-ln the tru lh . Armor Is design ed to
ler. other words. heavier armor pe-
nalizes a character 's Dexterity be as accommodating as possl·
Effec"ts of Armor score for purposes of Dextcrity
ability checks and Dexterity- ble to a fighter's movements.
Here a re some based nonweapon proOclencles. and so the AD&D" game doesn '(
optional rules for use with the assign an amlOred warrior any
wearing of armor In your cam- A character's choice of head sari of Inillatlve penalty for
paign. You may wish to use protecLlon, on the other hand. wearing armor.
some. all. or none of these; we'lI affects his Encumbrance. his
try to d.lscuss what effects each abllily to spot things. a nd the Now. a rmor isn't made fo r
will have on your campaign. ability of some weapons and at· some other types of movement
tacks to affect him in combat. as (acrobatics. dancing. etc.) a nd
A lot of the Information we'lI we'lI discuss furthe r on. so will constric t m any othe r
be d.lscusslng and e laborating Dexterlty·based abilities. as
upon is contained in the follow· Helmet Vis_ Hrg. w gt. we'lI discuss below . It is a lso
Ing charts. heavy. which slows down a n a r·
Type (I bs) mored character's runn ing
speed. as IsaJready docume nted
Armo, AC De>< wgt Cap -0 -I 2 In the game.

Type Chks (Ibs) Coif -0 -I 2 Effects On Dexterity Checks

Banded mall 4 -2 35 Close-Faced -2 -3 5 Armor does In ·
terfere wilh a c harac ter's grace-
Brigandlne 6 -2 35 Great he lm -3 -4 10 fuln ess in many sit uations. For
-0 -0 o this reason, we assign the c har·
Bron ze None acter a penalty to Dexterity
Open-Faced - I - 2 5 c hecks (a nd dexterity-based
plate mall 4 - 3 45 nonweapon pronclenc ies) when
the character is In armor: those
ChaJn mall 5 -2 40 pena lties are listed on the annor
chart above.
Field plate 2 -3 60 Effects On AC
These pena lties a re applied
Full plate I -3 70 The effects of when the character is using all
nonweapon proncleneics except
Gladiator armor on the cha rac ters' AC are Riding (Land-based or Airborne)
already well -documented with- or Charioteering. which are ex-
Gallic 7 - I 15 empt from the penalty. (Why
in the game. someone would be performing
Samnlte 5 - 2 30 In the campaign. the only fea· many of those skills In anTlor Is a
mystery ... bulil could happen.)
Thracian 9 o 5 ture of thc armor/AC system
6 -3 30 that t.e nds to eause trouble in- In addition. the penalty pre-
Hide volves the s hi eld . Reme mber scribed for the shields Is applied
8 o 15 that attacks 10 the character 's when the character is using the
Leath'" rear are made at lhe character's nonweapon pronciencies Jug-
Padded 8 o 10 AC IVllhoul the sh ield (unless gling. Tightrope Walking and
he's wearin g it slung across his Thmbllng. (The OM may choose
Plate mail 3 - 3 50 back. of course): this is some· to disal low the s hie ld penalty for
thing that Is easy to forget. OMs. certain exam ples of these skills '
Ring mall 7 -I 50 If they don' t keep the informa- usc. For cxample , a c harac ter
who Is Juggling a one· handed
Scale mall 6 -2 30 tion written on a helpful record tec hn ique won't be put off by
having a s hield on the othe r
Shie ld • 15 sheet, should ask their players: hand. But these exceptions wUl
"W hat's your AC from the be rare.)
Body rear?" when s uch Inc idents
come up. not JUSI "Wha t's your
Bu ckl erl • - 0· • 3
Kote AC::r

Medluml 10

Scutum •

SmalU 5
Parma •

Splint mati 4 40

Studded

leather 7 - I 25

• A shield makes the AC one Effects On Speed

better: Leather + s hield Is Therc's a mls·
conception that armor. parllcu-
AC7. larly plate -type armor. trans-
•• This penalty is only coumed forms gracefu l warr io rs Into
lumbering oafs who can be
for cen ai n s ltuallons: see be-

low .

106

In t he Cotmpalgn . . . What Hcad Protection No Heotd Protedlon

These dexter· Doesn't Do If a character
fly·roll pcnallies are provided chooses to wear no head protec·
only for Lhose garners to whom The one thing tlon at all. he suffers no Vision or
the maller means something, If your choice of head protection Hearing check penalties.
you don't care about such doesn'l do Is change your Ar·
things, don' t use these rules: mor Class. A warrior can have However. the c haracter has
they' d merely be an a nnoyance on full pla t.e a nd a grea t helm. or one hindrance, If you're using
and extra complication for you. full plate and no helmet at all , th e optional hit location rules
and he']] have the same AC, So from the Combat Rules cha pter.
But if you prefer for a charac· when making your c hoice of
te r to be a little less graceful head protect ion fo r your charac· If a character Is wearing no
when In full pla te or hide than in ter. don't worry about the char· head protection. an artackercan
soft lea!.her or no armor at all . ac ter's AC , for It won't be make a Called Shot against his
these rules are fo r you r cam· affect ed. head a nd the re by Ignore the
paig n . character's AC benefits from ar·
Vision-and Hearing Checks mor. tAli bonuses (rom shields,
Effed s On Vision ..nd Heotrlng
In a combat or high De xterity scores. and mag·
Helms and a ny other loud situation (such leal Ite ms still cou nt. however.)
hcJmeLS restric t v\slon a nd hear· as a ra ucous tavern . a charging Since !.his is a very difficult s hot
Ing. They fra me the face, ob· mob. an earthquake, a hurri· (a tota] - 8 to hit. remember).
scure his vis ion. muffle his cane, or a singing contest at a th is doesn 't do the attac ke r
hearing, a nd generally give the dwarven boiler·maklng pla nt). much good, un less lhe victim Is
character less ability to observe the OM may want his PCs to otherwise heavily annored.
what's goin g on ar ound him , make Visio n a nd Heari ng
(Th ey a lso som eti mes keep Checks in order to see and hear Example: Hahvay the archer
maces from cav ing in his s ku ll , certai n things.
which Is why nghters like helms has IWO possible targets. 1Crrl·
a nd he1mets.) Certainly. when a fighter Is
pointed in a certain direc tion , lor and Bosque. two brutal
With these optional rules. there's nothing distraCti ng him . g uards. Jerri/ or is wearing
we'll talk about different kinds and an ogre is lumbering at him
of helms and helmets. how (rom that direc tion. the figh ter leather armor and no headgear:
they' re used. and what other ef· is goi ng to see the ogre. No roll Is
fec ts they have In combat. necessar y. chis puts him at AC 8. and with
his Dexterily bonus he 's AC 6,
Other Helms and Helmets But wh en there's a c han ce Bosque is wearing {ull plate + 2,
that the character could fall to
The types of notice such a thing (as defin ed no headgear. and body shield:
armor listed In the Player 's by the OM ). the character gets to chis pUIS him at AC - 2 .
Handbook. page 69 , incl ude make a Vision Check or a Hear·
only two types of helmet (great Ing Check (whichever the situa· HaJway, afl er all modfflers for
helm and basl ncl) and then tion calls for). range. his Dexterity. and other
don't real ly describe what the factors . is THACO 16. (He's a
differe nces are be tween t.hem A Vision or Hearing Check Is a 6th·level warrior. with a Dexter-
, , . other than price and weight. Id20 roll agai nst the cha racter's fly of 16, and is firlngal Medium
Intelligence or Wisdom , which·
In Th e Complete Fighter 's ever is higher. If the PC rolls his Range,l
Handbook. we'll tal k about s ix ability or less. he's successfully
diffe rent ty pes of head protec· made his check a nd can see or If he ShoolS at Thrrltor, AC 6,
tion . Each one has differe nt ef· hear whatever it is he's sup· he needs only a (16·6) 10 or bet·
fectson lhe character's ability to posed to. If he fails. he doesn 't. Icr 10 hit him. If he shoots at
see things and to protect himself
from different types of damage. Protective headgear. however, Thrritor's unprolected head, the
provides penalties to lhe charac·
ler's Vision and Hearing shot becomes much harder ; he's
Checks. as well as providing shooling al AC 8 fAC 10. - 2 for
other benefits and hindrances. 1Crrll or 's Dexter ity). and so
would normally need a (16·8) 8:
bu t wUh the - 8 La hit for a head
shot, he's back to a roll of 16 or
OCHer. It 's easier for him to hit
TerrHor with a normal. non-
speCific s hot.

Ifheshoolsal Bosque. AC - 2.
he needs fa roll an (16·,·2Jj 18 or
beller fa hit him. Jf he s hoots al
Bosque's unprotected head, the
shot becom es somewhat easIer:

101

he's shooting at AC 9 fAC 10, his Great Helm . the better to see technics. fire baJI. flaming
modified by Bosque's shield), and hear around him, and s till
and so would normally need a have some head protection. Asa spher e. waJJ of nrc. delayed
(16-9) 7; with the -8 to hi! for a disadvantage, It adds a little
head shot he 's up to a roll of 15 weight to the knight's equip- bl<l5t fireball. incendiary cloud.
or better. This m akes Ir sllghtly ment. but It does not decrease
his Vision and Hearing checks and meteor swarm. and other
casler to hI( Bosque, and may any further than Just wearing nre-based spells and magical ef-
give him the special effects of the Great Helm . fec ts (as de termined by the OM) .

the head location shot if he suc- The Open-'';te He~met If someone uses a Lasso.
Chain. or Bolas In an effort to
ceeds, so thaI's the shot he at- The Open- snare a rider's head. and that
Faced Helm et. made of rein- rider is weari ng a Closed-Face
tempts. forced lealher. or of m etal. Helmet. the victim gets to roll
covers the back, sides and top of Id6. On a 4-6. the attack is han-
The lower {bener} a target's the face. leaving most of the face dled normally. but on a 1-3. the
AC Is, the beUer an option it is to open. It gives the wearer a -I a ttack Is treatedJustasa normal
try a head s hot. ifhls head Is un- penalty with Vision Checks. and lasso or chain dismount; the at-
prot,ected and the r est of his a - 2 penalty with Hearing tacker doesn'1 do the extra dam-
body is armored. Characters in- Checks (ll completely covers the age that the head-lasso attack
terested In mls option should ears. us ually with s mall holes or nonnally allows.
calculate me math of both shots grating over the ears so that the
and compare th e results. if they wearer can hear at al1J. The Great Helm
know all the relative ACs and
modifiers: if they don't, they Examples include the Cortn- The Great
should ask the OM. in general thian helmeLsofanclent Greece. Helm is a massive helm which
terms. if it's even worm their In a medieval campaign. open- covers the entire head. from the
time to try such a shot. faced helmets are often worn by top of the head to the top of the
milHary oITicers and soldiers s houlders. leaving silts open for
The u.p who can afford the protection . the eyes and ho les open for
breathing: it has no removable
The Cap Is a The Closed-Fue Helmet visor. It glvcs the wearer a - 3
padded. leather or eve n steel penalty with Vision Checks. and
skullcap which Is about the size The Closed- a - 4 penalty with Hearing
of and worn much like a c1ose- Face Helmet Is made or metal Checks.
nUing cap, beret or hat . Il gives and is much like th e Open-
the wearer no penally fo r Vision Faced Helmet ... except that The Greal Helm provides the
Checks, and a- I penalty with there Is armor plate. often In the following other benents:
Hearing Checks (as It partially form of a visor which may be
covers the ears). It's often worn opened. in fro nt of the face_ It The wearer of a Greal Helm
in conJunclion with padded. gives the wearer a -2 penalty gets a +2 saving throw vs. wiz-
leather. hide. studded leather. with Vision Checks. and a - 3 a rd spells such as hypnotism,
and other lightweight armors. penalty with Hearing Checks. light cast on his eyes. blindness.
hypnotic pattern, suggestion.
The Coif Examples Include the baslnet
mentioned in the Player's Hand- fire charm. rainbow patt ern,
The Coif is a book. the galea a nd myrrmillo
padded chain mall hood: It fi ts mentioned for th e gladiato rs and some other mlnd-control-
fai rly snugly around the neck (above). and many o1hercombat ling spells ... but not eharm
and over aU the head except the helmets. Many knights and person. charm monster. or dom-
face from chin to forehead. Like other moun ted warriors wear
the Cap. It gives the wearer no helmets of this type. Ination.
pe nalty for Vision Checks and
only a - I penalty with Hearing If the wearer of a Closed-Face If the wearer of a Greal Helm
Checks. h 's us ually worn with Helmet is also wearing plate is also wearing plate mail or ne ld
chain mall. mall or neld plate armor. he gets plate armor. he gets a +2 to sav-
a + I to saving throws vs. ing throws vs. dragon breath.
Often. a heavily-armored dragon breath. a nd to spe lls and LO spells such as burning
knight will wear a chain mall such as burning hands. pyro- hands. pyrotechnICS, nre ball,
calf and wear a Great Helm over flaming sphere. wall of fire. de-
it. The only lxnent this confers layed blast flreba JJ, incendiary
is that such a knight can remove cloud. and meteor s wann . and
other fi re-based spells and magi-
cal effects {as determined by the
OM}. If. instead of plate mail or
neld plale. he Is wearing full

108

plate. the bonus is a + 3 to sav· Armor Fitting However. the DM m ay allow
ing throws. the differen ce in sex to help
Armor made sometimes-in cases where the
If som eon e u ses a Lasso. for one race rarely nts a noUl cr: a rmor is not likely to fit a ma le
Cha jn. or Bolas in an e ffo rt to it may be too big. tOO small. or human because It is lOO small in
s n are a rider's head . and thal proportio ned too s trangely. the s houlders and ehesL A hu ·
rider is wearing a Great Helm. man wom a n trying to put on a
th e atlack is a uto matica lly Below is a chart. The colu mn male ha lf·e lfsarmor might be al
trea ted Just as a nonnal attac k. to the left shows the ty pe of de· no modiner. a nd find herself a t a
With lasso or chain. it's a nor· mihuman trying to wea r the a r· + 10% modifier to wear a male
mal lasso or chain dismount. mor. The rows along the top e trs armor.
and the a l1acker doesn' t do the show what s pecies the armor
extra damage that the head· was made for, The percentage Remember that full pla te has
lasso attack norm a lly allows. chances shown a re the cha nces its own modifiers for cha nces to
With Bolas. the aHack does nor- tha t the person can wear the ar· fit: it has only a 20% chance to nt
mal damage. but no s trangu la· mar. and t he " +" and .. -" sym· a nother member of the sam e
tion damage. race 110% If the new wearer is of
bois show whet her the armor is
In the Cam paign . . . more llkely to be too big or too the other sex). A character can·
s mall for the wearer. (If 1.here Is
If yo u use no s u ch symbol. it mea n s thai no/ wear full p late m ade fo r a
these rules in a campaign. you odds are even, 50% tha t it will character of another race, per·
add some color a nd d iStinction be too big, 50 % that it will be too
between the types of armor that s mall. ) '"Too la rge" cou ld mean lod .
your PCS wiJJ be wearing. On the thal it is so baggy or empty that
other han d. once again. it's an it hinders the wearer and docs The OM can allow previous ly
a dded Ic \'el of complexity whic h not protect him well enoug h. or role·p layed detcrmina tions of a
lhe game doesn't have to have. that it is SO long on him that It c harac ter's h eigh t and bulld to
Use these rules only If t he added interferes wi th h is walking . affect the chances from the
complexity doesn ' t bother yOll. "Too s mall" could mean that it c hart below. For Insta nce. irone
a nd If the special func tions of is not broad e nough to accom· player has always said that his
the different types of helmets modate t he wearer's chest. or human charac ter was s hort and
appeal to you . thatH is so short that it looks rio s tocky. say 5'4 ~ and powerfu lly
d ic ulous and docs not suffi· buill. so that many people Joked
Variant Armor cie ntly protect the wearer. aboul l1im having a dwarvish
ancestor, the OM can g ive h im a
The ty pes of Now. at th e OM's discretion . + 15% c ha nce to weardwarvlsh
armor gi ve n in t he Player's m an y things can affec t these a rmor: this raises his chance
Handbook are a ll you need to perccnt"age chances . from 50% lO 65%. as If h e were a
play the game. However, you human try ing to wear armor of
can use other types of a rmor in If a charaeler of onc se x is try· h is own kind . Th e OM s hould ,
your campaign: he re, we'll talk Ing to pu t on armor bu ilt for an· howe ve r, s ubtrac t tha t same
about two different types of al· other scx. cha nces go down that modifier from the charac ter's
te rnative a rmor. it will fit. The chance is red uced chance to wear armor built ror
10% (bu t never goes below 5%). humans: that c hance wouJd go
Radal Armor If a fit fails because of that mod i· dow n from 65% to 50%.
fier. It 's beca use the wo man
!I'sasking a lot found lhc man's armor too big. Example: An adventuring
to suppose tha t elves will make or the man found t.he woman's
their armor j ust as humans too small. party kills a bellolder in ils lair
make theirs. t hat it will look t he
same a nd function idenlicaHy. and finds u U: armor worn by
Here are some ways to make the
armors of d ifferent races more prcl';OUS vic lims. T Ile advenlur-
individual .
Race

Trying To Race For Which Armor Was Built:

Wear Armor: Owf Elf Gnm th, E I th-lg Hum

Dwarf 80% 0% - 10% - 10% - 35% - 40%
Elf 10% + 90% 50% - 70% + 35% + 50% +
Gnome 40% + 75% 25% + 60% + 20% +
Ha lf·Elf 20% + 40% + 10% +
HalHlng 75 % + 70% 35% 50%
Human 45% 35% - 35% + 70%
50% 30% - 5% - 10% - 20% +
30% -
20% - 65%

10 9

ers Include a huge human male not modify ir for her sex. She Half·Elves: Half-Elf armorers
barbarian. a slender human rolls a 51 and fails. She tries the do not make any High·Qua lity
warrior ess. a dwarfaxeman . lea ther; she has a base 60 % leather armor. padded a rm or,
chance with It, -10 % for differ- studded leather, hide armor. or
and a female gnome. The dead bronze plate mail. All their other
victims include an elf male In en t gender equals 50%. She armors can be made as High·
en chanted chain mail and a rolls a 33 and can wear i t Quality armor. High-Quality
half-elf armor is made from nne
haJ/1lng m ale In enchanted So the human warr/oress gets steel: It Is -1 0% the weight of
leather. Th e her oes see who can the chain mail. and the dwarf ordinary armor of the same
kind, nne steel. fo r normal
wear the cap tured armor. and gnome must choose orgam- thickness, - 10% weight. and
gets a +2 to saving throws (on
The DM decides arbitrarily ble to decide who gelS the leath· the "Metal" column on page 39
that the human barbarian can· of the Dungeon Master s Guide).
not even roll. He s always de- ers.
Halflings: Halnlngs only
scribed himself as being Hlgh,Quality Racial Armo r make leather armor as High·
massive. with enormous rip- Quality a rm or. Their Hlgh-
pling muscles and a body· Armor found Quality leather annor counts as
bullder's physique. In this "No Armor" on the "Thieving
campaign. chat often helps him as ueasure has a chance to be Skill Armor Adjus tment ta ble
with the ladies. but this time it (Players Handbook. page 39).
high-quality arm or, Ordinary
disqualifies him from wearing armor has a 10% chance on per· Humans: Humans make all
any of lhe treasure. centile dice: magical armor has types of armor as High-Quality
a 25% chance. armor. This is especially tough
The sl ender human wanioress armor: whatever it is made of. it
Each race adds something dlf· Is +2 to saving throws on the
tries the e/fs chain m ail. A hu- ferent to Its armor if It is high- appropriate line of the "Item
man trying on elf armor. on the quality. Saving Throws" chart on page
chan above. has a 20% [0 wear it 39 of the Dungeon Master's
Dwarves: High-Quality Guide. Also . plate mail (not in-
successfully. Th e DM raises her dwarvtsh armor Is very, very reo clud ing bronze plale). fi eld
chance 10% because she Is a fe- sista nt to damage . Whenever plate, a nd full plate made to
High -Quality dwarvlsh armor Hlgh·Quality s peCifications Is
male human crying ro flt into must make a saving throw (see made affine steel. but instead of
the Dungeon Master's Guide, being lighter than usual. it is
male elfarmor; her buJld is at an buUt thic ker in order to make il
advancage here. He raises il 10% pages 39-39), It gets a +6 to save more resistant to damage, It Is
furth er because In the campaign +4 to saving throws on that
she has always described herself In addition to any bonuses it re- "Item Saving Throws" chart.
as ofdelicate build. very sl ender. ceives If It Is magical. Addition- and is normal weight. Also, It
This raises her chance to 40 %. ally, if you use the "Damage to gives the wearer a +2 to saving
She rolls 38 on percentile dice; Armor" rules deSCribed later In throws vs. Rod, Staff. or Wand
she can wear the chain. She also th is chapter. all High-Quality and Breath Weapon attacks. In
rrfes lhe enchanted l eather. A dwarvlsh armor has t wice the addition, If you are u sing th e
human woman trying to wear number of damage points of or· "Damage to Armor" rules found
male balfllng armor Is at 10%. dlnary armor, la ter in this chapter, It has one
and the DM agaJn assigns her the and a half times the normal
+ 20% from !he two modifiers Elves: High-Quality elvish ar- damage polnts for the ty pe of ar·
mentioned. She has a 30% mor is 1/2 the weight of ordinary mor it is.
chance. bur rolls a 79; she can- armor: II co nstitutes "elve n
not wear It. steel" (see the chart on page 38
of the Dungeon Master s Guide).
The dwarfaxeman tries the e/·
vish chain. A dwarf trying to Gnomes: Gnom es make very
w eare/farmor has a 0% cbance quiet studded and padded
to wear it. He can't, He has a leather armors: th ese are the
35 % chance to wear the ha/f- only High-Quality armors they
lings armor; the DM Jowers that make, High-Quality gnome ar-
mor does not take any penalties
to 25 % because rhls character on the "Thieving Skill Armor
has al ways described himselfas Adjustme nt" table (Player's
especially burly for a dwarf. But Handbook. page 39, last
he rolls 03 on percentile dice; he column): thus, a gnom e thief or
can wear the enchanted l eather. dual-c lass thief does not suffer a
-30% when picking pockets, or
The female gnome lrles the el- a -20% when moving silently,
vtsh chain. She has a base 40 % e tc .
chance to wear it. The DM does

110

Other Notes on HISh-Quality The answer Is yes. Ins tead of Example: A characrer is
costing ten times the normal ro bbed of a ll his worldly goods,
R,tct.1 Armor cost of the a m lor. the price is 15 Later. h e finds lheaftermath ofa
Urnes the normal cost. But it can battle. with a couple of dead
All the above be done. Again. thoug h. an elf warriors still In their armor. One
armorer wUl never make High, body wears a badly battered set
descripLio ns were for worn ar· Quality armorer (or anyone but of field pla te (o f which the
his rulers.
m a r. not shields. Hlgh·Quality breas /p la te Is Intact). while the
sh ields do not impart any spe- Custom-built Hlgh'Quality ar·
cial bonus unless you 're using mor takes four times as lo ng lO other wears a full suit of chain
the " Damage to Armor" rules. make as norma l. average armor. mall (of which the chesl Is rid-
In w hich case they have twice as dled with holes and one leg Is d e·
many damage points as the nor· Piecemeal Armor s/rayed).
mal sort of sh ield .
What happens He t.ries 1.0 piece this togeth er
How much docs It cost to buy when a character takes a heavy Into a SUil for h im . He takes the
metal breastplate from a set or
a set of High·Quality racial ar· fie ld plate and then wears chain fie/d'plat,e's breastpla te. Look-
mall sleeves and leggings and a
mor? First. the DM h as to decide lea the r a rm or cap? (That Is . Ing a l the chari , we see it grants
whether there Is any avaiJable to what happens other than he an AC bonus of 4. He also takes
sell. Usually. the answer will be looks stupid? ) the field-plates rIVo arms. Look·
no; there Is o nly a I % cha nce ing a t the c hart , we see they
that a nom lal village armorer's Characters can wear armor g rant an AC bonus of2. He lakes
will have made any piece of assembled out of the remna nts the sun'lvlng ch ain mail leg.
hlg h--quaHlY armor to sell . and of other, mismatched sets of ar· Lookfnga t the chart. we see that
tha t wHl be racial armor of the mar. It 's not as good . and cer· It gr an ts a n AC bonus ofO. (He'lI
armorer 's race. The c hance goes Lalnly not as good·looki ng. as also take the s urviving h elm or
up to 5% in a big city. or 25% if wearing a matched suit. But helmer from one of these war·
you're looking for racial armor sometimes necessity dic tates
of the race that Is most common that characters wear what's on rlors. sa that he 'll ha ve same ar·
In the city. Thus, to nnd high· hand.
quality dwarvlsh armo r. go to a mar on his head In case of a
big dwarf community ... and When you' re assembling a fu ll Cal1ed Shot to the Head.)
there your cha nces are sulilow.
suil or armor out or pieces on His AC bonus Is 6. so his AC
But if you nnd what you 're now Is 4-no( too bad. If there's
hand. the nrst thing 1.0 do Is to a shield. he '11 have all AC of3. If
looking for. or are able to hire an s ee what you have. Compare
annorer to build you a set. it your annor on hand with the someone takes a Called Shot t,o
c hart below. his unarmored leg. he'll be at
costs ten times the normal cost A C 10 (or 9 with the shield). as
of the armor. Hlgh·qua lity dwarf per the Combat Ru les chapter.
pla te m all. th e n . would cost but Ihat aHacker wiJ/ take a -4
6.()(X) gpo Often. it 's not worth
the price to the a dventurer. Armor Bonus to AC Per Type of Piece: One

In no case will an elvish c ra fts· Type Full Breast- Two One Two Leg
Suit Plate Arms Arm Legs
man cus tom·make a set of High- 0
Quality elvl s h armor for Banded Mall 632 I I 0
someone. Such annor Is only 0
made for the elvlsh royalty, a nd Brigandine 42 I0 I 0
their kings somcLlmes bestow a I I
piece o n a non-elf hero ... but Bronze plate 632 I I
only for deeds of excepLio nal 522 I I 0
valor which ha ve helped the Chain mall 0
842 I 2 0
elves . Field Plate 943 I 2 I
Another quesLion adven tur· 0
Full plate 42 I0 I 0
ers are sure to ask: Can an ar· 0
morer of one race build his own Hide an]lor 00 0
type of Hlgh·Quality armor for
anothe r race? For example. can Leather armor 2 I I
a master gnome a rmorer build
Hlgh·QualHy g nome armor for a Padded annor 2 I I 00

huma n? Plate mall 732 I 2

Ring maH 3I I0I
42 I0 I
Scale mail I

SpUnt mail 632 I
Studded leather 3 I I 0 I

111

penally [0 hit (or the Cal1ed Shot The piece of a rmor called the Armor Type AC DP
maneuver. Galerus. worn o n the weapon Banded Mall 4 30
shoulder. does not a dd a nything Barding
Weight of Piecemeal Suits to the AC bonus : it is cons idered 5 50
part of the sleeve or breastpla te. Chaln 2 80
1b calc ulate Full plate 6 40
the weight of a piecemeal s uIl of Damage to Armor Full scale 7 30
armor. follow these guideli nes: Ha lf brigandtne 9 IO
It's easiest In a Half padded 7 30
The breastpla t e is 1/2 th e campaign Just not to worry Ha lf scale 8 20
weigh t of the original s uit. abou t t.he da mage that armor Leather/Padded 6 20
and shields are taking. It's pre- Brtgandlne 4 30
Each arm and leg Is 1/8 the s umed that characters go on ad- Bronze plate 5 25
ventures, get In fights. a nd Chaln maH 2 40
weight of the original suit. during some of their off·hours Field Plate I 45
they repaJr the ir armor. Full plate
About Magical Armor Gladiator 7 IS
If you wa nt know precisely 5 25
If a su it of how muc h damage a pleceofar- Gallic 9
m agical armor Is used for one of mor can take before being de· Samnlte 5
these piecemeal efforts, It grants stroyed. and how to re pair Th racian +0
none of its magical bonus: once damaged a rmor (without the Helms +0 5
the magical armor Is split Into PCS necessarily having to do so Cap +0 15
lillie bits, or pieces are m erely themselves), you can use the fol· Coif +0 25
se parated a nd no t worn to- lowing rules. Close-Faced ' +0 35
geth er, the magical bo nus Great 6 20
doesn ' t work, Damage Points Open·Faced 8 20
Hide armor 8 10
Gloldloltor Armor Every time a Leather armor 3 10
c haracter wearing armor is hit Padded annor 7 35
These rules fo r and damaged by a n at.tack. his Plate mall 6 15
piecemeal armor are, In effect, armor takes damage. too. It Ring mail 20
how the types of Gladiator Ar- ta kes I Damage Point per blow Scale mw l +I
m or described in th is chapter tha t hits. If an attack hits fo r I S hields +1 35
arc bull! . po int or damage, the armo r +1 10
takes lOP. If an attack hits fo r Body +1 25
Thracian armor consists of 10 poin ts of damage. the armor Buckler 10
fasciae. the equivalent of Hide takes 1 DP. Medium 4 30
armor worn o n two legs- thus Sma ll 7 15
an AC bonus of 1. for an AC of9. S hields on ly take damage
when the character successfully SpUnt mall
Gallic armor consists of fas- Parries with a Shield . Each time Studded leather
ciae (Hide armor on two legs). he parries an attack that would
one manica (the equivalent of have hit him . his shield takes I • Inc ludes baslnet. galea, myr-
Splint Mail on one ann. thus an DP. rmllIo
AC bonus of 1). and a protective
metal belt. The belt Is a special Helms only take damage Piecemeal Armor
piece of gladiator armor: It con- when the character Is hit with a
stitutes haifa breastplate of Hide Ca lled Shot to the Head or a Sap If you're using
armor in both weight an AC b0- maneuver. Each time the char- the Piecemeal Armor rules from
nus. SO it grants an AC bonus of a cter wearing a hel m Is hit with earlier In th is chapter, consider
1. All toge the r. Gallic a rmor such an attack. the helm takes I the armor's Breastplate to have
DP. the num ber of DP listed fo r It in
grants an AC bonus of 3 . fo r a n· the chart above. Each arm and
When a pieee of armor drops leg will have a DPamounl equiv-
nal AC of 7. Note: The annor belt to 0 DP. It falls apart and Is ru- a lent to (lho the DP total from
cannot be worn in addition to a In ed: it can nol be repaired. So the chart. T he breastplate will
Breastplate, only Instead of one. long as It has 1 DP It can be re- take all DP damage from a ttacks
paired. u nless they a re Called Shots LO
Samnite armor consists of a other body pans.
cuirass (a splint mall equivalent Armor has the foUowing DP:
breastpla te conferring an AC boo
nus of 3). and splint-equivalen t
armor on one a rm lAC bonus of
II and boLh legs (AC bonus of II.
fo r annal AC of 5.

112

Magica l Ar· bats in the gam e. Every time a But when a warrior (on ly a
mar does not gradually lose Us character is hit in combat, he' II warrior. mulU-class warrior. or
protective enchantment as It is have to add one tally·mark to a dual-class warrior) slides the
damaged . However. If It reaches separate scratch sheet or paper bracelet around th e blade or
o DP berore being repaired. the showing the damage his armor haft ora weapon. and speaks the
armor Is destroyed and so Is the is taking. It ·s easy to forget: the command word engraved on the
encha ntment. OM will constantly have to reo bracelet's clasp. lhe weapon djs-
mind his players to do this in the appears . .. a nd a gold charm
Being magical does nOl conrer first weeks he Is introducing this matching the weapon appears
any extra Damage Poin ts on lhe rule into his campaign. There· on the bracelet.
s uit or armor. II can gradually be fore. we recomm end you use
destroyed by brule force like lhlssys tem on ly Ir(t·s Important T hereafte r. when the warrior
any un enchanted suit of armor. to you . Ir it isn' t, don 't bother speaks the com mand word a nd
with it. the na me or th e weapon . the
Repairing Armor weapon magica ll y appears in
Magical Items the hand on whose wris t the
GuldeHnes for brace leL rested ... a nd the
repaIri ng damaged armor are Following are bracelet disappears.
presented In the Character Cre· some new types of magical trea·
aHon chapler. under the head- surcs. magic especially suited to T he bracelet can hold up to
lines "Re palrlng Armor" a nd fighting characl.ers. four weapons/charms this way.
"Repairing Magical Armor." They can be normal or magical.
Bracelet of Charms: This ap· Shields and miscellaneous
Effects on the Ca mpaign pears to be a nicely ·crafted equ ipment cannot be held In
bracelet of sturdy gold links. h this rash Ion; only weapons built
These rules ror looks like any other bracelet to as weapons. Siege weapons can·
calculating damage to armor which small channs and me· not be held.
add a little complexity to com- mentos are attached.
The cha nge from bracelet to

weapon lakes no time a l aU. but
can be accomplis hed only once

1\3

pe, tum. T he br-acelel itself can The Bmcelct of Charms may t.easure. he mus t carry it in his
be used only eight times In a not be used on lhe same weapon gea. rooa mont h for the cage to
day; turning the bracelet into a as a set of Rings of Readiness. allu ne Itself to him. If Its true
weapon counts as one use. a nd owner se lls It to someone else In
tuming the weapon back into a Cage of Shelter: This obJcct the cage's presence. the cage
looks like a la rge bi.d·cage tha t wUl obey lhe claps of Its new
bracele t coun ts as one usc. has been nea tly folded down ow ne. immediately.
If the weapon held In the In to a package a bout the size of
a medium shield . Charm of Favor: When dei·
bracelet's e nc hantmen t is ca lled ties and other powerful beings
on. and wielded. a nd the n dis· The user. who can be of any are pleased with the deed of a
a rmed. the cha rac ter ca nn ot c ha.acter class. places it upon mortal. they som etimes gi ve
call on another weapon from lhe the ground . steps back from it. him a charm of favor. This Is a
bracele t. The bracelet itself Is and claps his ha nds loudly el· s mall c ha rm or statuette. us u·
within the weapon . The c harac· ther two o. th.ee times. a lly of sem lp. eclous mate ria l
te r must retrieve the weapon a nd two or three Inches In size.
firs t. a nd only then can he use Ifheclaps his hands twice. the which represents the god or one
IlS magic. cage grows up Into a stu rd y of his aspec ts.
metal-framed te nt which ca n
A weapon can be taken out of house eigh t peopl e-you ca n The chann Is rather lIke a lim·
lhe bracelet's array. When a s ubstit ute one horse for four ited wisl!. It represents a favor
c haracter wishes to do this. he peop le. This tent confers no which the deity will do for the
takes lhe bracelet off his wris t magical blessing on Its Inh abit· c harac ter at some lime in the fu·
ants. but by using Hand hud· ture. To use It. the owne. mUSt
a nd speaks the name of the dling toge th er fa . wa rmth a thmw the Ite m on the ground so
weapon . and then says the com· pany can s urvive a snowstorm ha.d that It b. eaks. and then ca U
mand word ... a reversal of the thal would kill a n unprotec ted out his requcst.
prevIous proced ure. party: by erecting It In the des·
crt. a pa rty can avoid the danger The . eq uest must have some·
The br-acelet does nOl magi· and discomrort of a sandstorm. thing to do with the a ttributes of
cally know its owner. Anyone the god: It"s no use askin g the
who steals lhe bracelet from Its If the usc. claps his ha nd s Goddess of Love to dry up a n oa·
owner and discovers what it Is th.ee limes. the cage grows up s is inlO a desert. or to ask the
can use It a nd ca ll the previous Inloa strong 10' by 10' cell . The God of Earthquakes roo a fog to
owner·s weapons forth . doo. to the cell has the equiva· hide the adven tu.ers.
lent of a wizard lock : Ihe cage·s
This Hem Is best used when ow ne. can open it a ny time he The god hears It when the fa·
the wielder wants to carrY a va· wishes. and any magician with va. is . equcsted . And he. In thc
riety of different weapon"s. and the knock spell can open It by guise of lhe DM . evaJuates lhe
using tha l spell. A person In th e favo.. If the favo. Is somethin g
wants to do so secretly. With a ce ll would ha \'e to m ake his which pertains to one of his at·
single warrior. the weapons car· Bend Ba. S/Lift Ga tes 1011 suc· (ribures. a nd If the god does not
rled m ight be a long bow and cessfu lly for use a knock) to es· think tha t the character Is mak-
quiver (quivers count as part of cape: the door's lock cannot be Ing the . equest out of m e re
the wea pon lhey carry arrows picked. greed or sclns hncss. and If be·
for). a bastard sword . a haJberd . s towing the favor will not con·
a nd a dagge r. This gives the 1b ret.uID the cage to Its origi. nlc t with a ny of lhe god·s othe r
nal fo. m. the owne. claps agai n. a ims or desl.es. he will g.ant the
wanio. the ability to call forth twice if II Is In te nt form . three
the weapon best suited to the times Ifu Is In cage rorm. Usome- favo•.
task a t ha nd. one is in It when It is a tent and So it would be appropria te to
begins colla psing. It opens up
If a weapon Is broke n . the around the person Ins ide: both ask the God of inscclS to send a
bracelet isn·t; the user needs to he and it are unhurt. If someone cloud of bees to lOu t one·s e ne-
call forth the braeelel. then sep· Is In It when It Is a cage a nd be· mies. or to ask the Goddess of
arate the broken weapon f.om gi ns colla psi ng. U colla pses Love to ca use some NPC to fa ll
amund him . innictlng 2d6 dam· in love wi t h the pl aye r·
It. age before It breaks open : there· c ha.acte r. or to ask a deity oflhe
after. it Is ruined forever. Ea.th to ca use fou it-tr ees to
QUivers arc nOI magically reo glOw and save the charactc.s
plenlshed when lhey're the size The cage of shellcr knows its from death by thirst a nd starva·
of c harms. However many a.· owner. If someone finds it in a
rows are In the qulve. whe n it lion .
becomes a charm are still In It
whe n It becom es a quiver agai n.
Likewise. a broken bow·s tring
stays booke n .

114

Because the deity ls evaluaUng ing a suit o( armor, it a ppears dealcrs catch up with them .
the character's request. the ask· nex t to him. If the It.em Is some·
ing character can not expect an thi ng else, it appears in a fash· This magica l it e m may be
outrageous (avor to be granted. Ion dictated by the OM; a crown
And most enemies who steal the will appear on the characte r's used by characters of any class.
charm from the PC cannot use It head, while a sewing mac hine Rings of readiness can not be
successfully; one might lake It. would appear nex t to him . for
hurl it to the ground and break it Inst.a nce. used on the same weapon as a
with his request. and find the
cranky god stomping on blm and If the Hem attac hed to the bra celet ofchanns.
freeing the (ailh(u) PC. (This . larger ring Is more than 10 miles
however. constitutes usi ng u p away, nothing happens. S h eath of Holding: ThIs item
the favo r.) But an NPC (riend of looks IJke an ordinary s heath for
The use of the rings mus t be a la rge knife: the sheath is any·
the owner of the charm might be announ ced before In itiative In where from 6~ to 1 0~ long. in ·
able to get the Item and ask the t he com ba t lurn . Use of the clud lng Its belt loop.
rings takes no time, The charac·
god to hel p the c ha rm 's true ter calls ou t the magiC word be· But It doesn't hold a knife. It
fore InlUaUve: thcn, la le r in the holds a s word-a full·slzed
owner . .. particularly If he Is III lurn. when his actions come up, sword . With magiC rather Uke
or kJdnapped and cannot do so thc Item In question appears. that found In the bag of holding,
for himself. th is Item s lides most of the length
If a character finds the sma ller of the blade into a pocket dlmen·
Any c ha racte r of any class ri ng without the larger one. then sia n, so that only the weapon·s
can receive s uc h a charm asa fa· he can s ummon whatever ob- hU t shows, with the sheath sug·
vor. But when they are found In jcct the larger one Is attached l a, gesUng another 5" or so of blade.
treasure. they are useless: they even If It Is no t h is. These rings (This looks rather strange when It
were not lnl ended for the c ha r· recognize no s ingle owner. An holds a bastard sword , where the
a cter who finds them, after a ll. Interesti ng ques t In a cam paign
might be for a cha rac ter to fi nd hilt will be longer than the appar-
The charm of favors does not the smaller of a set of rings a nd ent blade, but the sheath of hold·
radiate magic. have La wa nder to fi nd the larger Ingcan do Il.l
rin g and summon It and its ob·
Rings of Readiness: This Jec t to him : re mem ber, It only Each s h ea th of h o/dlng Is de·
magical he m consists of two works wit hin 10 miles of the signed to hold one type of
pla in Iron rings. one suitable to
be worn on a finger a nd one s u m m o ne r. sword . Th e OM ca n dec id e
larger. some 2 " in diameter. The magic only works if the w hich son of sword It 's des lgned
to hold . or can roll on the table
The larger ring is to be placed Item attached to the la rger ring below, The s heath will not hold
on some item . It can be sewn Is Inanlmat.e. Living things a re a sword It is not built to hold .
Into or bolted o nto a set of a r- not transponed.
mor: It can be placed upon the Weapon
pommel of a weapon (In which Once summoned. these ob·
case it shrinks u ntil it fi ts jects may not be sent back. This Roll Held By Alte rnate
snugly): it can be attached to
any Item of personal gear weigh· Is a one·way tri p. dl OO Sheath Ro U
ing less than 100 Ibs. T he rings may be used any
0 1· 10 Bastard
When the larger ring Is a t· number of times: they do not
tac hed to an object. a nd the s word 01 · 15
smaller rin g Is worn by a c harac- wear ou t.
ler, the cha racte r needs only to Many heroes use this magical 11 · 15 Cutlass
u tter th e magical word in·
scribed on the inside of the Item so that the y never lose 16-20 Dagger 16·25
smaller ring. When he does, if thei r weapons . If the hero find s
the other ring Is wilhin 10miles . his sword disarmed In combat. 2 1·25 Dirk 26·30
It will ins tantaneously transport he can call it to his hand on the
th at object to the character. next round . without wasting the 26·30 Gladlus/
lime to go get It. Some can art·
If the Hem attached to the ists use II to ru n a sca m: T hey' ll Drusus
other ring Is a weapon. Il will ap· secretly a ttac h the la rger ring to
pear in his hand. If the Ite m Is a somc great Item of treasure, sell 3 1·33 Kata na
suit of annor, It appears on lhe It to a dealer, ride out of la wn
character: If he Is al rcady wear· with their money a nd the n sum- 34·38 Khopesh 3 1·35
mon the treasure back. This is a
good tactic until the vengeful 39·43 Knife 36-45

44 ·53 Long sword 46-65

54·58 Main-gauche

59-68 Ra pier

69·73 Sabre

74·78 Scim itar 66·75

79·88 S hort swo rd 76·90

89·93 S tUetto

94·98 TWo· handed 9 1.()()

s wo r d

gg.()() Waklzashl

11 5

Ignore a ny rolls which are not Ot he r than running. t he While he Is doing so. he is im -
appropriate for your campaign horse-spirit has no unusual abU· mune to the s toning gazes of
setllng: jf you have no ka tanas. Ities. It cannot be seen o r c reatures such as the med usa
you don 't need to accept any touched. It can whinny a nd and basilisk. a nd to magica l
rolls for shea th es for katanas. ne ig h . a nd it can buck ... items which duplicate their
th ough on ly the sadd le Is seen to gazes. When the character car-
The "Alternate Roll " colum n buck In the a ir. It cannot truly ryi ng thi s s hie ld confronts a
fly: when It comes to a ravine. s ton ing creature. he reflec ts
Is used If you are not using the for Instance. it must descend to the ir Images back a t the m . and
new weapons Introd uced in The the bottom and climb the other it is lhey who mus t ma ke saving
Complete Fig htcr's Handbook . slope as It would have had to do throws vs. petriOcation or be
If It were alive . turned to stone.
This magical Ite m can be used
by any c haracter class. but mos t T his fri ghte ns living horses. Unlike ordinary s hields. the
end up In the hands of warriors No normal horse will approach shield of medusae has o nly twO
and rogu es. the a nimated sadd le within a dam age points before it shat-
hund red feet. f o r this reason . it ters. In other words. if It Is hit
Saddle of the Spirit-Horse: is best used when the charac te r twice. It is deSlroyed.
This is a very s trange magical Is a lone and, has his horse k Uled
Item which may o nly be used by ou t from under him . Miscellaneous
warriors (either single·, mu ltJ..
or duaJ-class) . If a character kills his horse to Equi p m e n t

Th all appearances. it is an or· get this 24 hours of fast. tireless The following
d inary. wo rn leather saddle of service. the ghost·horse will re- pieces of eq uipmen t are of some
good quality. However. It Is a member this and be offended by use to warnors a nd othe r cha r-
magicai llem . lfwo rn by a s ingle it ... even if the character d id It ac ters.
horse. It a ttunes Uself to tha t secre tly. by polson o r lo ng-
horse when wo rn for three days. d istance magiC. the horse will AU-AU: This is a sUc k with a
(It doesn't have to be worn con· know it. It will a llow him to broad , shallow groove along Its
tlnuously fo r 72 hours-ju s t moum the floatin g saddle. and length and a knot a t the e nd : It Is
worn as a n ordinary saddle Is.) behave norma lly fo r a while. but a few feet long.
at some catastrophic time It will
Once It Is attuned to the horse. try to kill the charac ter. It may T he c haracter places a Ja ve lin
nothing remarkable happens j um p off a c li ff. or rid e him (nOl a s pear. lo ng spear. har-
. . . unless the horse dies while straight back a t the enemy he's poem. or trident) in It so that the
wearing lhe saddle. If It does. trying to e lude. or buck him off Javelin butt rests against the
the s pirit of the horse s tays with into a pit of sna kes. kno t and the Javelin lies along
the saddle for another 24 hours. the groove: the warrior holds it
Half a n hour afte r the horse These saddles may a lso be at the othe r end . Thereafter.
died. the spirit of the horse will made for donkeys. camels. or when he flin gs his javelJn . he
"awaken." and climb to Its un- any other ground a nimals. They uses the a ll-all as a leve r and Is
seen feet. a nd prepare to carry don't work with pegasl. griffons. able to throw It much farth er
its master wherever he wants to o r other fl ying beasts. than before.

go. The ghost-horse contin ues Shield of Medusae: This When used with a n aU·atl. the
to wear the sadd le and to carry It mag ica l hem may only be used j avelin a cquires th e foll owing
arou nd ... a nd the horse's mas- by warriors or priests (Incl uding c haracteristics:
ter o r other favorite riders may multi-class and dual-class war-
ride It duri ng that (Ime. riors or priests). Jave1inJAU-Atl: ROF 213. S 3.
M6. L 9.
Fo r the next 24 hours. th e It is shaped like and works
horse·ghost will tirelessly carry like a norma l medium shield . T he a U-atl costs I silver piece
its rider wherever he wants to Bu l Lhe outside (the side that to make. but can be carved out
go. a l the full runni ng speed the fa ces the ene m y) is mirro r- of a stick by anyone with lhe
horse could manage when It refl ective. a nd the Ins ide (w here Wea po nsmlth pro fi cien cy. It
was aliv e. But It's a spooky the warrior's s lraps are) is crys· we ighs one pound.
sigh t: T he sadd le nOats in the
air. fou r or nve fect up {at the tal clear. Spike. Spring-Out: This Is a
height the li ving horse carried Th use the shield of medusae. nasty weapon used mostly by
Itl : the ride r must moun t nor-
mally. (reat the horse as he did th e wa rrio r holds it up before
nonnally. a nd pretend all is as it him . In front of his eyes. and
ever was. looks through Its clear surface.

"6

rogues a nd c haolic warr iors. Sheath, Secret Spring: This rolled thai he Is going to pop OU I
though a ny sneaky player- Is an other ite m considered use- h is bla de: when hi s action
c ha racte r could acq uire one. ful by rogues. street-nghters. as· comes up for that round , ifhe Is
sassins. and characters wishing still able to s traighten ou t his
h consists of a blade identical arm . his blade pops Into hIs
in charac te ristics to the knife. to appear unarmed. hand and Is Instantly ready. The
housed In an Innocuous rod or It consists of a s heath for one character may still attack lhis
handle. When the secre t catc h Is round : the acllon of arming
pressed. the blade s naps out In - of the following weapons: Dag- himself doesn't usc up an at-
stamly and the c haracter Is ger, Knife. or Stl iello. A s heath tack.
a rm ed . for one of these three weapons
will not hold either of the other The Secret Spring Sheath
Usually. the spring-oul spike two. II cannot be built for a weighs 1/2 pound a nd costs 35
is built into items the character weapon other tha n these three. gpo It requires someone with
will be carryi ng a lot . . . a nd It is not jus t a s hea th . bU lls also both the Set Snares and
whe n hc does n't wis h It to be a mec han ica l device, a nd is Weapons mlthing proncle ncles
know n he's a rm ed . Common worn on the character's arm to create . Like the Sprf.ng-oul
objects with buih-in spikes in- Spike, il ls illegal In most places.
clude roya] sceptres. the ends of just below the elbow. but is a lesser crime. punishable
quan ersta ves fthis converts a Whe ne ver the e haracl.e r by a fine ( I Od6 gold pieces) and
s talT Into a spear). and some- a few days {I d6) In Jail.
Urnes the hilts of swords a nd s traighten s his a rm OUI a nd
daggers. Assassins onen carry a nexes It in a certain way. lhe •••
dagger with a n ordinary blade blade in the sheath pops Into his
.. . and a polson-coaled spring- hand . The charac ter mus t make That's the end of The Com -
out spike. a Dexterity a bllily c hec k to plere Fight er 's Handbook.
catch It; he gets a + 3 bonus be·
The spring-out spike weighs cause It's nol diffic ult. but a nat- Now that you've rcad Il. the
one pound a nd cos ts 40 gpo u ral 20 always fa ils. If he fail s to thi ng to reme mber is this; Usc
When built into an ordinary ob- ca le h it. It pops straigh t OUI and whatever a ppeals to you . as the
Ject. It adds one pound and 40 drops to the floor, It cannot be OM . and nothing more. Lf a ny
gp to that object's cost. It cannot "shot OUI" as a n attack like a ru le or recomme ndation worries
customarily be built Into an ex- thrown knife; It will nol hurt YOU . If you fee l lhat It w ill u nbal·
isting weapon; It mus t be built whomever It hilS. and always a nce your campaign or s kew
into the weapon when it is first h its hil t-first when fumbled In your pla yers toward bad habils.
this fashion . the n don 't a llow Ill n your cam·
c re a t ed . paIgn, As for all the other rules.
The spring-oul s pike is illegal This Is anothe r way, a nd a reco mmendations. and guide·
non·maglea l one. for the un - lines; Try them. You may like
In most civil iza tions. If the au- armed characler 10 be suddenly th em .
thoritles catch a c haracter usi ng armed when the need arises, In
one. they' lI Jail him on assum p- the combat seque nce . he must
tion of assassination motives. a nnounce before Initia tive is

117

Tables

Martial Arts Results One-Handed or Two,Handed Weapons

Attack Martial Arts % Weight Speed Damage

Roll Maneuver DmgKO Item Cost (Ibs.) Size Typet Factor S-M L

20 + Head Pu nch 3 15 Harpoon %
2 10 One-handed 20gp 6 L p 7 Id4+11d6+1
19 High Kick 2B 'TWo-handed 20gp 6 L p 7 2d4 2d6
18 V l t a l s -KJ c k 25
17 VItals-Pu n c h 25 Javelin %
16 Head Bash 13 One-handed S sp 2 L p 4 I d4 I d4
15 Side Kic k 11 p
14 Elbow S hot 12 'TWo-hand ed 5 sp 2 L 4 Id6 Id6
13 Body· Punch 11
12 Low Kkk Spear % Mp
11 Graze o1
10 Body -Punch One-handed Bsp 5 Mp 6 Id6 IdB
9 Low Kick 12
8 Body- Punch 11 1Wo-handed , Bsp 5 6 Id8+ 1 2d6
7 K nee -S ho t 12
6 Side Kic k 13 Spear, Long %
5 Head Bash 15 One-handed 5 gp B L p B IdS Id8+1
4 Vitals-Punch 2 10 p
3 VII.als-KJck 2 10 'TWo-handed I 5gp B L B 2d6 3d6
2 HIgh Kick 2 15
1· Head Punch 2 20 Trident %
3 30 One-banded 15gp 5 L p 7 Id6+J 3d4
1Wo-handed 15gp 5 L p 7 ld8+ 1 3d4

% This weapon is Intended for one-handed or two-handed use.
, This weapon Inflicts double damage when flrmly set to receive a

c h a rge .

• Or less

Arll)or Fitting

Combat Modifiers for Race Race For Which Armor Was Built:
Trying 1b Elf Gnm 1/'4. EI 1h:-lg
Darkness and Blindness Wear Armor: Owf Hum

Condition MeL Mis . [nfr. Owan 80% 0% - 10% - 10% - 35% - 40%
Bonus
Clear sky -0 Elf 10% + 90% 50% - 70% + 35% + 50% +
(dayUme) -3 -0 "'0 Gnome 40% + 75 % 25% + 20% +
-1 Half-Elf 20% + 40% + 60% + 50%
Fog. dense -4 +0 Halfllng 75% + 10% + 70%
-2 Human 50%- 45% 35% 20% +
or blizzard -0 -2 +0 35% - 35% + 65%
-2 - 3 >0 30% - 70 %
Fog. light -3 5% - 30 % -
or snow -4 - 1 >0 20% - 10% -
-4 > 2
Fog, -1 rlecell)eal Armor
modera te - 6 +3
- 6 >3 Armor Full BODUS to AC Per Type of Piece: One
Mist or -2 > I Type Suit Breast- TWo One TWo
Plate Arms Arm Legs Leg
Ughl raJn Banded MaJi 6
Night. Brtgandlne 4 32 I I o
Bronze plate 6 o
fu ll moon Chain mall 5 210 1 o
Night. field Plate 8 o
Full plate 9 32 11
no moon Hide armor 4 I
LeaLher armor 2 22I 1
Total Padded armor 2 I
darkness Plate mall 7 42 I2
Ring mall 3 o
1\vilighl Scale mail 4 43 12 o
Splint m all 6 o
Studded leather 3 2 101
I
I 10 0
o
1 10 0 o
o
3 2 12 o

1I0 1

210 I

32 1I

1 10 1

118

Tables

New Weapons List

Weight Speed Damage

Item Cost nbs .) Size Typet Factor S-M L
Arrows. Slone
3 cpll2 1110 M P Id4 Id4
Flight &
Belaying pin I 2 cp 2 S B 4 Id3 Id3
Bo sUck &
Bolas ! 2 cp 4 L B 4 Id6 Id4

Cestu s I 5 sp 2 M B B Id3 Id2
Chatn&
Dagge r I gp 2 S S 2 Id4 Id3

Bone I 5sp 3 L B 5 Id4 + 1 Id4

Stone I I sp I S P 2 Id2 Id2

Dalk yu & 2sp I S P 2 Id3 Id2
Oaikyu arrow &
l OO gp 3 L 7
Gafflhook I
Attac h ed 3 sp/S • I M P IdB Id6

Held 2gp 2 S P 2 Id4 Id3
J avelin. Stone % 5cp 2 S P 2 Id4 Id3

One·handed 5 cp 2 L P 4 Id4 Id4
1Wo-h a n ded Id4+ 1
5 cp 2 L P 4 Id6
Knife
3cp 'n S PIS 2 Id2 Id2
Bone ! 5 c p 'n S PIS 2 Id2 Id2
5 sp 3 L 10
S tone!
Lasso & 3 gp 2 S PIS 2 Id4 Id3
Maln-gauche !
5 gp 10 M 10
Ne l &
Nunchaku I I gp 3 M B 3 Id6 Id6

Poleann Bgp 10 L P 7 IdB IdlO
Naglnata &J
2gp 7 L B 7 IdB IdS
Tetsubo & S P/B 2 Id4 Id2
5 sp 2
Sail 3sp I S P 2 Id4 Id4

Shurlk en ! 5gp B L P S IdS IdS+ 1
5gp B L P B 2d6 3d6
Spear. Long 'l
Scp 5 M P 6 Id4 Id6
One-Handed Bcp 5 M P 6 Id6 2d4
iWo-Handed I 5sp 'n 2 Id3 Id2
S P
Spear. Slone %
12 gp 4 MS 5 Id6 IdS
O n e- h a n d e d SO gp 3 MS 3 Id6+ 1 IdS+ 1

1\vo-handed lOO gp 6 M SIP 4 IdIO Id12
100 gp 6
SUletto I 15 gp 4 M SIP 4 2d6 2d6
Sword M P 4 Id6+' , IdS+ I
17 gp 5
Cutlass I SOgp 3 M S 4 Id6+ I Id8+ 1
Drusus!
Katana % M SIP 3 IdB I dS

O n e-h a n ded
1WQ-ha ndcd

Rapier !
Sabre !
Waklzashl $

I This weapon Is Intended for one-handed use, and may not be used two-handed .
$ This wea pon Is Inte nded for one-handed use, but may be used two-handed (see the rules for lWQ-Hande r

S tyle S pecialization In the Combat cha ple r ).
% T h is weapon Is Intended for one-handed or two-handed u se.
& This weapon Is inte nded for two·handed use only.
I This weapon InntclS double damage when f1nnly set to receive a charge.
t The "Type" category Is divided Into Bludgeoning (B). Pie rcing (P), and Slashing (S). This Indicates the type

of attack made. w hich may alter the wea pon's effectiveness against different types of armor. See the

optional rule In t he Player 's Handbook . page 90.

11 9

Complete Fighter 's Character Sheet

Charac ter Name: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Class: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _
Player: _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ __ __
Warrior Kit: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Race. Sex: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ Alignment: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __
Level: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
Heighl. Weight : _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __
Hair. Ey es: _ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ ____ Experience: _ _ ____ _________
Age. Appearance: _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __
Experience for Nex t Level: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____

Stre ngth _ _ __ Hit: __ Dmg: ____ wgt: _ _ Press: ____ Doors: __ Bars/Gates: ____
De xterity _ __ _
Constitution _ __ Rcac Adj: ____ Ms i All Adj : _ _ o c r (AC) AdJ : _ _
Int elligence _ _ ___
Wisdom _ _ _ __ HPAdJ : __ S ys Shk : _ _ Res Sur: _ _ Pols Sav : ____ Regen : ____
Charisma _ __ _
I of Lang: __ Sp LvI: __ Lrn Sp: __ Sp/Lvl: ____ Immun : ____

MagiC Oer: __ Bonus Spells : _ _ % Fail: ____ Immun : ____

Max I Hench: __ Loyalty Base: ____ Reac AdJ: ____

Rac ia l Bonuses an d Abilities : _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __

Hit Poi nts: _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ Hit Dice T y pe : d _ __ _ ____ Armor Class: ___ __ _ __
THACQ, ____________________ Attacks/Round: _ _ _ _ __ Movement Rate: _ _ _ _ __

Savin g Th row s: Paralyzatio n/Poison/Death : ____ _ __ _ __
Rod/StafffWand : _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __
Petrincation /Polymorph: _ _ __ _ __ _ ____
Brea th\Veapon : _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ Spell, _ _____________________________________

Special Ablll Ues an d Res lriclions : _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ __

S pell Progression: 15' _______ 2 nd _______ 3rd _ ______ 4lh _ ______

Warrior Kit Bonus Profic ien cics: _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ ____

Wa rrior Kit Be nefi ts: _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ __ __

Warrior Kil Hindra n ces : _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Languages Known : _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __

Weapon Proficien cy Slots Nonweapon Proficiency S lo t s

120

Complete Fighter's Character Sheet

Weapons Cost Weight Size Type Speed Damage
Ca rrie d Fac tor S-M/ L
(lbs)

Equipment Purpose/Effects Where Kept ·

• B '" beltlhand : P "" backpack: S::z saddlebags; A'" pack animal; H = home.
Notes :

12 1

Complete Fighter's Combat Sheet (pC Side)

" Numbed" and "Useless" Numbers

Character 's HP: _ _ _ __
"N umbed " Number: __ (25% of charac ter's HP. round up from .5J
"Useless" Nu mber: _ _ [50% of character's H P. round up from .5)

Normal Damage"" Temporary Damage

Body Modifier Effect if " Numbed" or
TO Hit "Usel ess" Number Reached
Locations

Thrso -0 No Effec t
-8' OM Chooses or Rolls Id6:
H ead
I J Blind: attackers get +4 to hit
Arms -4' 21 Deaf: character cannot hear
-4' 3) Dizzy: check Dex terity a t -4
Legs - 8' 4) Knockdown : character knocked down
Stun Points 5) Blind and Deaf: as above

6) Dizzy and Knockdown: as above

Drop Held Weapon: Shield Does Not Help AC
Check Dexterity to Stay Upright
Movement Is Halved: Auackers gel +2 to hit

• Called Shot: announced before initiative. + 1 to Initiative roll

Combat Attack Maneuver Result
Maneuver Modifier

Called Shot - -4 Varies
Disarm - -4 I-hand weapon nies 2d6 feet:
2-hand weapon or s hield oul of posilion
Grab - -4 Gets hand(s) on object
Hold Attack -0 Attack waits until later In round
Parry -0 Announce before initiative:
successful parry stops enemy attack
Pin -4 Enemy's weapon pinned againSt him
-0 Successful a ttack knocks e nemy do wn
pu llmip -8 Damage x 5% = KG change (40% m a"( )
Sap ' -0 1- 3 points damage (+StrcngLh bonus)
Shield-Punch -0 As shield -punch + knockdown c hance
Shield-Rush -0 Basic allack with weapon or empty ha nd
Strike/Thrust

• CalJed Shot: announced before initiative. + 1 to Initiative roll

.22

Complete Fighter's Combat Sheet (~M Side)

Player-Cha racters and Their Allies

Character Name Cla s s /Lev e l THACO A t tac ks AC HP

Non-Player Characters and Monsters

Character Nam e Class/Level THACO Atta ck s AC HP

'23

Warrior Kit: Warrior Kit Creation Sheet
Campaign:
Special Benefits:
Dungeon Master:
Description: Special Hindrances: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Rol e:

Secondary Skills:

Weapon Proficiencies:

Weal th Options: _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __

Nonweapon Proficlencies: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Races: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _

Equipm ent: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __
Nol es: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __

124