Fallout D6: Attributes and Skills

 

For this fan project, I will be using the D6 System rulebook as core, available here. I may refer to other Open D6 rules to fill any blanks as needed. I will also be refering to Nukapedia, the Fallout fan Wiki for game particulars and lore.

Attributes

The first thing one has to do when customizing the D6 System is to choose a number of base attributes, their names, and the individual skills under them. For Fallout D6, this a relatively easy matter, as we’ll want to use the S.P.E.C.I.A.L attribute system from the video games: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck.

All of these fit neatly into the D6 framework as base abilities to place skills under. The odd man out, however, is Luck. With the exception of perhaps a Gambling skill (from the original Fallout game) there’s just not enough to justify a Luck attribute. Besides, extraordinary good (or bad) luck is already represented in the D6 system by a few things:

• The Wild Die, which determines critical successes and failures in both skill and attribute rolls. I will keep this in mind when I get to character perks that affect criticals.
• Fate Points, which can be spent at crucial moments to double a character’s dice on skill or attribute rolls.
• Character Points, which in addition to functioning as experience, can be spent to gain an additional die to roll.

I considered making Luck an attribute and have the value become the additional dice a character gets when they spend Fate Points, but I have a feeling that doing this would just nerf them, so I made the somewhat unsatisfying decision of making the “L” in “SPECIAL” where “Luck points” go, which is what I’m renaming Fate Points to. 

I will consider how Luck-based perks can affect things like Luck/Fate points and the Wild Die later.  I also want Luck points to have the additional feature of helping players discover special encounters or loot like in the video games.

So as it stands, here are the attributes for Fallout D6:

Strength: The character’s physical power and muscular vigor. Strength determines how much a character can carry, their ability to fight with their bare fists or hand-held weapons and how much damage they cause.

Perception: A measure of a character’s general awareness and sharpness of their senses. Perception also governs tasks that that require attention to detail such as rendering first aid to the wounded, disarming a dangerous, pre-war explosive, or counting cards at a gambling establishment.

Endurance: The character’s overall health, fitness and ability to withstand the many dangers of the Wasteland including physical injury, disease, radiation, and toxins. Endurance also determines a character’s Body Points.

Charisma: The ability to understand and influence others can be vital to survival in the Wasteland. Charisma represents a character’s personal magnetism, attractiveness, leadership quality, or emotional intelligence, which enables them to make friends, deceive enemies, or strike lucrative deals for pre-war loot.

Intelligence: The character’s academic knowledge, deductive reasoning, and memorization abilities. High intelligence is necessary when dealing with intricate, pre-war devices, or complex subjects such as medicine.

Agility: A character’s reflexes, manual dexterity, and hand-eye coordination. Agility determines a character s ability to move quickly and with grace, manipulate delicate devices such as locks, shoot firearms, or throw objects accurately.  

Luck (points): A character’s special connection with destiny, fate, or simple serendipity. Luck points may be spent to improve skill and attribute rolls dramatically, or even increase their chance of discovering rare locations, situations, and treasures in the Wasteland.

Since Luck (points) are not an attribute per se, players will have a total of 18 dice to distribute among the six main attributes (three for each) as is standard for the D6 System. Characters begin with one Luck point, but special perks may affect this starting number.

Skills

Like attributes, the skills in Fallout D6 are pretty easy to determine. Just about all of the skills from the various games can be used, with the addition of a few others for tasks that characters might do which aren’t necessary in the video game environment, such as athletic feats, or piloting vehicles. Characters will have the standard 7D to distribute among these.

 

Attribute and Skill Breakdown

Strength: melee weapons, unarmed

Perception: explosives, first aid, gambling, pilot

Endurance: athlete, outdoorsman

Charisma: barter, speech

Intelligence: doctor, repair, science

Agility: acrobat, big guns, energy weapons, lockpick, small guns, sneak, throwing

 Luck: n/a

 

Skill Descriptions 

Strength Skills 

 

Melee Weapons

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

This is the skill for fighting and defending with hand-to-hand weapons of any type, from a board with nails on it to a graceful, Chinese officer’s sword. This also includes mechanized melee weapons such as rippers or super sledges.

Specializations: by weapon type

Unarmed

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

This skill encompasses the sweet sciences of brutal fisticuffs, pugilism, wrestling, and the mysterious arts of the Orient. This skill also covers weapons that enhance fighting with one’s bare hands, such as brass knuckles and power fists.

Specializations: specific maneuver type such as punching, kicking, parrying, wrestling holds, or throws, or by weapon type.

Perception Skills

 

Explosives

Time Required: Varies

Characters with this skill can handle, arm, and disarm explosive devices. In addition, they can recognize and construct simple traps using explosive devices.

Specializations: by device or trap type

First Aid

Time Required: Varies

This skill involves providing immediate, medical assistance to the injured or sick. If used on a character after combat or injury, they can recover 1-25% of Body Points suffered, depending on the severity of their injuries. First Aid can also be used slow the onset of poisons or mitigate (but not cure) the effects of radiation poisoning or disease. A character can use this skill  a number of times per day equal to the number before the “D” in their skill.

Specializations: type of injury or condition such as gunshots, lacerations, radiation poisoning, or disease.

Severity of Injury or Malady	Difficulty
75-100% of body points remaining/minor poison or radiation level	Very Easy
50-74% of body points remaining/advanced poison or radiation level	Easy
25-50% of body points remaining/critical poison or radiation level	Moderate
1-25% of body points remaining/deadly poison or radiation level	Difficult
0 body points/fatal poison or radiation level	Very Difficult

 

Gambling

Time Required: Length of a game 

This skill bestows an understanding of various card games or games of chance that are typically played for money. Specifically, characters with this skill can attempt to subtly shift the odds of a game in their favor or cheat outright. 

If a character attempts to cheat, others involved in the game can make Perception rolls to detect the attempt. Anyone who rolls higher than the character’s gambling total notices the characters efforts to alter the game's outcome (with potentially deadly consequences.)

Specializations: by specific game

 

Pilot

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

This skill covers the operation of various types of pre-war land, aerial, or water-going vehicles, from the latest Corvega model (circa 2077) to a state-of-the-art vertibird.

Specializations: by vehicle type.

Endurance Skills

 

Athlete

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round) or more

This skill covers actions that require physical fitness such as running, jumping, swimming, and climbing. The athlete skill may also be used to avoid incoming gunfire or missile weapons in combat.

Specialization: by specific action type

Outdoorsman

Time Required: Varies

This skill encompasses several aspects of and survival in the Wasteland – finding sources of food and water, tracking game, land navigation, avoiding natural dangers and recognizing beneficial (or harmful) plants, as well as concocting folk remedies with these.

Specializations: by action type

Charisma Skills

 

Barter

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round) or more

Even in the ravaged, post-war Wasteland, the American spirit of free-market Capitalism has endured. This skill allows a character to negotiate lower prices for goods or services, whether it is in caps, gold, or salvaged goods.

Specialization: by type of good or service such as weapons, armor, chems, pre-war junk, or business contracts.

Alter Price By	Difficulty
10%	Very Easy
20%	Easy
30%	Moderate
40%	Difficult
50%	Very Difficult
60%	Heroic

 

Speech

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round) or more

Not everyone survives the Wasteland by their wits or skill at arms alone. Some gifted individuals can talk their way past dangers, or convince people to act in their best interests; be they angry locals, raiders, or witless mutants. This skill also covers inspiring and commanding troops and followers.

Specializations: by specific approach such as intimidation, diplomacy, leadership, or the great, political tradition of lying.

Character’s Demeanor or Relationship	Difficulty
Trusted	Very Easy
Friendly	Easy
Neutral/stranger	Moderate
Suspicious	Difficult
Hostile	Very Difficult

Intelligence Skills

 

Doctor (A)

Time Required: One day or more

This is an advanced skill. Characters require a minimum 5D in First Aid before they can allot dice or character points to his skill.

The Doctor skill includes advanced, medical knowledge, such bone-setting, surgery, amputation, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and radiation poisoning, and properly administering medicine.  Characters that successfully use this skill increase the amount of Body Points an injured character can recover per day while under their care equal to the number before the “D” in the physician’s doctor skill. Restoring radiation damage requires one dose of RadAway, with no risk of addiction to the patient.  Damage to crippled limbs is also restored along with negating any harmful effects from the injury.

The doctor skill can also be used to break a character’s addiction to chems.  The difficulty is equal to the individual drug's addiction rating.  The detox period lasts 2D days.

Specializations: by type of condition or injury

Character’s Condition	Difficulty
75-100% of body points remaining/minor radiation level	Very Easy
50-74% of body points remaining/advanced radiation level	Easy
25-50% of body points remaining/critical radiation level	Moderate
1-25% of body points remaining/deadly radiation level	Difficult
0 body points/fatal radiation level	Very Difficult

 

Repair

Time Required: Varies

This skill covers taking apart, determining the function of, or fixing mechanical and technological devices.  It also includes making special modifications or inventing new devices.

Specializations: by specific type of item such as guns, energy weapons, armor, vehicles, or pre-war device.

 

Science

Time Required: Varies 

This skill represents a general understanding along with some practical knowledge of scientific subjects such as chemistry, biology, or physics. This skill also includes knowledge of pre-war, computerized devices and robots.

Specializations: by subject or computer task such as programming or hacking.

Terminal Type	Difficulty
Home system	Very Easy
Simple encryption	Easy
Business-level encryption	Moderate
Military-grade encryption	Very Difficult

Agility Skills

 

Acrobat

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round) or more

This skill represents training in gymnastic feats such as balancing, leaping, rolling to avoid fall damage, navigating obstacles, and performing impressive tricks. This skill can also be used in to dodge incoming gunfire and missile weapons in combat.
Specialization: by action type. 

Big Guns

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

Training in the use of infantry-scale artillery weapons such as miniguns, missile launchers, and flamers. 

Specializations: by weapon type. 

Energy Weapons

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

Knowledge and training with high-tech, pre-war weapons that can fire bolts of energy such as laser pistols and plasma rifles.

Specializations: by weapon type. 

Lockpick

Time Required: Varies

This skill represents hands-on knowledge of different types of key-based or combination locks and enclosures such as safes, as well as how to open them with specialized or improvised tools.

Specializations: by lock or enclosure type.

Lock Type	Difficulty
Simple key lock	Easy
Complex key lock	Moderate
Combination lock	Difficult
Electronic lock	Very Difficult

 

Small Guns

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

Characters with this skill are trained in the operation and care of all types of firearms such as pistols, rifles, and shotguns.

Specializations: by weapon type. 

Sneak

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round) or more

This skill encompasses knowledge of how to move stealthily, conceal oneself or objects, and filch goods from pockets or market stalls (at the risk of Wasteland justice.)

Specializations: by action type such as silent movement or pickpocketing. 

Throwing

Time Required: 5 seconds (1 round)

This skill represents the ability to accurately hurl weapons such as knives, spears, grenades, or rocks (if one is desperate enough.)

Specializations: by weapon type.

The D6 System: My Go-to, Quick-fix RPG

 

While this blog is primarily focused on old school (A)D&D and its derivatives, these are not the only roleplaying games (RPGs) I’ve played, or will ever play.  One of my other favorite games, which I’ve mentioned before, was West End Game’s (WEG) Star Wars RPG.

I’ve learned recently that I’m part of a sub-generation of late Gen-Xers called “Xennials” which are also apparently called the Star Wars Generation, so I guess it’s no surprise that an RPG based on that beloved, space-fantasy franchise called deeply to my soul.  Younger folks may not get it, and I imagine that over time, with the churning of subpar, commercial sequels, prequels, and spinoffs (which I still consume, to my shame,) the franchise will become (or already is) a joke – one of those stupid “Boomer” things (which is what the kids these days call anything and anyone older than them.  Harrumph!)  Still, that galaxy far, far away is embedded deeply in my aging psyche.

I think one thing that made the game successful (you know, other than the big-name IP) was its unique system.  It used pools of six-sided dice, but rather than working on the number of “successes” each die rolled, it added them together and compared the result to a difficulty number with a descriptor (Easy, Moderate, Hard, etc.; may seem familiar to those that have played d20-based games.)  

Attributes and skills, were noted as the number of dice you could roll, with two “pips” in between each full die in a sequence: 1D, 1D+1, 1D+2, 2D, 2D+1, 2D+2, 3D, etc.  More dice meant a widening bell curve, where harder difficulty numbers become routine to more experienced characters, who tend to succeed more often.  The addition of heroic point mechanics to increase crucial die rolls (called Force Points, and Character Points, respectively,) helped the game simulate the fast-paced, cinematic action in Star Wars pretty easily.  What’s more, the system was simple and very easy to learn; once you got used to the funky die progression, that is.

Unfortunately, WEG made a few mistakes that would make TSR hold its beer.  Among these was using a different system, Masterbook, as its house system for other licensed games instead of the D6 system in the Star Wars RPG.  It seems as they too realized this mistake a little later, since several of the Masterbook sourcebooks had an appendix for converting them to the D6 system.  They eventually released a generic, customizable game based on the D6 system, along with  couple of other D6-based, licensed games in the late 90s.

This short, 79-page book was more of a toolkit than complete game, and it was judged harshly for it, when it was noticed at all.  Still, I loved this little book, and how I could use it for any whacky idea I had for a one-shot or short campaign.  These days, it reminds me of the original D&D game, insofar as its do-it-yourself (DIY) quality.

I wasn’t alone.  At least one fan created several Tripod webpages (remember those?) with homebrew D6 games based on films, TV shows, anime, and video games.  I’m both surprised and happy to see these sites still exist.  As far as I can see, they still work, but may have some dead links and/or annoying ads; clicker beware.

• The Matrix D6
• Buffy D6
• Evil Dead D6
• Neverwhere D6
• Appleseed D6
• Starcraft D6

 Not long after making that generic D6 game, WEG went the way of TSR, albeit without a cash-flush company like Wizards of the Coast (WotC) swooping in to save the D6 game system like they did with D&D.  And so, the D6 System went into a period of obscurity, save in the hearts of a few fans like myself.

Circa 2004, WEG came back under the new ownership of Purgatory Publishing under one Eric Gibson, and they released three games based on the D6 System: D6 Adventure, D6 Space, and D6 Fantasy.  These were individual adaptations of the game system for modern-day, sci-fi, and fantastic or pseudo-historical campaigns respectively.  They also tacked on rules from the Masterbook games, like character advantages/disadvantages and a spell system which originated from WEG's multi-genre game Torg (also the origin of the Mastebook rules, I believe.)

These came out at a time where I was starting to get a little burned out on Third Edition D&D (then in its 3.5 version,) and they were a timely breath of fresh air.  The games rekindled my excitement for simpler, fast-paced, DIY GMing.  I took a break from D&D to run some successful mini-campaigns with themes like modern-day, urban horror, Firefly-esque space heists, and bloody swords and sorcery set in the Hyborian Age of Conan.  My friends and players remarked how much simpler and easier D6 games were to play than 3e D&D, and I agreed.  Alas, this lesson didn’t really stick with me (for D&D, that is) until several years and yet another edition of the game later.

Unfortunately, nu-WEG also went under a mere four years later.  Perhaps it was not having a strong enough IP like Star Wars to buoy the D6 System, or a debacle regarding their D6 Space setting of Septimus by author Bill Coffin (of RIFTS Phase World fame,) or maybe it was just fickle Fortune pooping all over small business as it often does.  Regardless, it was the Final Death of WEG, but not necessarily of the D6 System itself.

As a final and quite charitable act, Mr. Gibson gave Rome back to the people by releasing the D6 System rules and sourcebooks under the Open Game License (OGL) as Open D6, so that others could continue to use the rules in their own games.  This spawned a small, but vibrant community of independent publishers, but these games have sadly not had much time in the limelight without the flash, marketing, or big IPs larger game publishers can bring to bear.  But maybe that’s the way it should be.  Sometimes, a cozy niche is just fine being a cozy niche.

But why am I waxing nostalgic about the D6 System?  Well, I feel another one of those “fevers” coming on after watching the televised rendition of a certain, retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic video game series which I have enjoyed since the original PC game.  Therefore, I’d like to do a series of posts (concurrently with my other series) to make some quick-and-dirty, homebrew D6 rules for playing in this universe, and then create a little sandbox for using them in (or the official game rules, if one is so inclined, although the core book seems to be sold out at the time of this writing.)  

So…

Lessons from the OSR Part VIII: Combat the Third

 So we’ve covered how old school (A)D&D combat can be a form of do-it-yourself (DIY) wargame with some abstract rules (in the alternative combat system) which can be supplemented with more concrete rulings by the game master (GM.)   We’ve also covered how effective adventuring parties can (and should) fight in formation as a team.  But we cannot forget that each player character (PC) is their own, special soul with hopes, dreams, and desires.  They say there is no “I” in the word “team,” but there are enough letters to spell “me.”

You can also spell “at” or "meat,"  because that's what 1st-level PCs are, but let’s not get confused here.

Therefore, we will talk about some tips and strategies for individual characters, but before we do that there is still a team issue I want to cover: non-player character (NPC) henchmen.

Depending on the edition of the game, these are also called “retainers.”  They should not be confused with mercenary soldiers, who become necessary as the players mount expeditions into the Wilderness or need additional troops to protect their Domains, but these don’t typically adventure in dungeons or gain levels.  Henchmen, on the other hand, are classed, NPC murder-hobos just like the PCs, albeit soulless, but they should not be treated as such if you want to keep them around.

NPC murder-hobos have feelings and needs too.

I’ve pointed out before that each PC in a classic (A)D&D campaigns is not just a would-be hero, but also a would-be leader of men.  In my post on the OSR MeWe group about my last post, a knowledgeable reader pointed out that warbands of men gathered around a powerful or charismatic leader were the original military formation.  I imagine that the practice goes all the way back to humanity’s more primitive times, with tribal war-chiefs, or even further back to the dawn of our species, as hairy monkey-men gathered around their chimp-lord to battle others for territorial supremacy.  Such was the will of the mysterious Monolith, because “war…war never changes.”

One could consider a PC and his or her NPC henchmen a warband unto themselves. This makes Charisma a more important ability score than I think many players realize.  It determines how many of these “special” or “unusual” NPCs (as they are called in the Original game) an individual PC can have.  It also determines their “Loyalty,” which coming from the Second Edition of the Advanced game; I thought was a bonus to morale.  Funny enough, 2e mentions Loyalty all but once under Charisma in the Player’s Handbook, but makes no mention of it in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.  Similarly, Basic/Expert (B/X) makes no mention of Loyalty, either, pretty much dispensing with it.

When I checked out the Original game rules, I learned that “Loyalty” is a unique ability score for NPC henchmen, which is also rolled with 3d6.  This score is then modified by the PC’s Loyalty bonus (or penalty) from Charisma.   The score then determines a more reasonable bonus or penalty to morale.  "The More You Know."  

The First Edition of the Advanced game has Loyalty as a percentile score, modified by Charisma and other various circumstances.  It is worth noting that morale in 2e is a higher range, rolled with 2d10 instead of 2d6, so maybe the writers just did away with Loyalty and rolled it into morale.  Perhaps the writers of B/X meant the same since Charisma determines a henchman's base morale.  

This kind of discovery reinforces my view that TSR (A)D&D from 1974~1999 is all one game with rules scattered around like the pieces of Humpty Dumpty .  If I was a powerful Wizard who lived by the Coast, I would use my powers to put those pieces back together into a D&D Classic, or “One D&D,” but I guess such a feat is impossible, let alone commercially viable.

Isn’t it?

But my monkey-mind wanders, so let’s get back to the subject at hand: henchmen.  

 

The Benefits of Henchmen

Terry Dykstra illustrates the old school ways of henchmen in the 1991 Rules Cyclopedia.  What a rebel!

Different editions differ somewhat on the methodology for procuring, fielding, and retaining (natch) these, but these are all pretty much guidelines to be solidified by the GM.  I personally recommend that each player make an effort to have one or more henchmen – up to as many as their Charisma scores will allow (typically four on an average Charisma.)  This provides a few advantages:

• A force multiplier that boosts the adventuring party’s strength, and enables them to man those formations I discussed in my previous post.
• Provide a measure of protection for your “main” PC.
• And in the unfortunate event your main PC falls, they provide alternative PCs.

As a general rule, one shouldn’t get too attached to classic (A)D&D characters until they reach heroic levels (4+) at least, and be open to the idea of an alternate character becoming their treasured one, like a diamond found in the rough.  Indeed, as an house rule, I have had players make three or four 1st-level characters, kind of like the concept of the “funnel” in the game Dungeon Crawl Classics, wherein players start with multiple, zero-level normies that are ground down in the first adventure to the last man; this last character ends up being the 1st-level PC.  The idea is for them to choose one as their main PC and the rest as their henchmen/retainers.  This makes switching to one of them if the main PC falls much more palatable than an impersonal NPC created by the GM.

But how does one field this small warband when starting gold is so meager?  Here are some guidelines, which the player should (of course) discuss with their GM:

Option 1 (meh): If you’re a magic-user (see below,) or rolled a very high starting gold, you might be able to fund them out of your own, snuff-box-sized war-chest.  This is OK, but minimum wage doesn’t exactly inspire loyalty.

“Would you like to ogre-size that Iron Ration Combo with a Borderland Beer for just 3sp, ma’am?”

Option 2 (good): Offer up to half of your treasure take, split among your henchmen (about 1/8th each if you have four henchmen.)  Yes, this slows down advancement, but if you die before leveling up, the point is moot.  The added benefit of this, more generous offering, is potentially higher loyalty and morale.

Option 3 (even better): If you only have one or two henchmen, you can offer them more than a small share of treasure, or perhaps even an equal share.  This will most certainly result in happier, more loyal henchmen.

Care and Feeding of Henchmen

As a player, you want to develop and nurture a close and continuing relationship with any starting (and future) henchmen.  Don’t just stop at small shares of treasure.  Provide bonuses for bravery and loyalty.  Any surplus magic items like that +1 sword your character outgrew when they acquired the Sword of Lantika make great gifts for loyal and true henchmen.  This system of patronage and gift-gifting to one's followers goes back a long time in human history, and by the time one reaches heroic or “name” levels (9+), those first, surviving henchmen should become one's trusted, right-hand men and women (with their own levels to boot.)

Individual Strategies

That's enough about team talk.  (A)D&D is a game with individual players, after all, and the group cannot exist without the individual, so let’s talk about some best practices for the various character classes and/or races.

 

Fighters

If you have understood and internalized the formation-fighting concept in my previous post, you know that armor class (AC) and hit points (HP) are more important than damage output when you could potentially die in the first round of combat.  A high AC makes you less likely to be hit, keeping you in the fight longer to deal said damage.  There’s not much you can do about HP (if rolled randomly,) but when it comes to AC, you should purchase the best you can get with your starting gold, and seek to upgrade to plate and shield as soon as possible, if not right off the bat.  With an average starting gold in Original and B/X+ being 100-110 gp, a starting kit could look something like this.

• Plate and shield
• Short sword
• Spear or hand-axe

This allows the fighter to be a front-line combatant in the Turtle-Porcupine formation.  At Basic prices, this is 80gp, or about 80% of the average starting gold.  The other 20% or so can be spent on additional throwing weapons, gear, and other incidentals.

One rookie mistake I have been guilty of is buying things like rations, waterskins, and blankets/bedrolls at first level.  Why in the Nine Hells are you having a sleepover in the dungeon?!  It’s not safe!  You can’t sit around doing each other’s hair, telling scary stories, or gossiping about which party member has a crush on which when there are real monsters waiting in the dark.

It's half past Vespers, do you know where your children are?

 

Better to do your dungeon workday, then return to the tavern in time for Happy Hour and some well-deserved bar food.

But what if your fighter is either a) woefully low on HP, and/or b) woefully low on gold?  Depending what you can afford, you might be a second, or third rank fighter in the formation.  Here’s what you can do with 33 gp at Basic prices:

• Leather armor
• Shield and spear (2nd rank) OR polearm (3rd rank)

Forget about additional gear.  Other players or NPCs will be holding light sources, anyway.  The polearm especially, can double as a 10-foot pole if necessary.

 

Clerics

The cleric has much going for it.  HP second only to the fighter and ability to wear any armor can make them candidates for the front rank.  However, being limited to bludgeoning weapons that require room to swing precludes them from fighting in tight formation.  So what’s a militant holy-man to do?

From the second rank, a cleric could use a staff like a blunt spear, and gently, but firmly boop-smite the foe into submission. If the front rank is down to one combatant (yikes!) the cleric could step in and swing a bludgeon to their heart’s content, saving the day by the grace of the gods.  The Murder-Hole formation does give the cleric the option to fight in the front or rear rank with a swinging weapon.

A cleric’s starting kit could look like this:

• Chain mail, shield, and (silver) holy symbol OR plate mail, shield and wooden holy symbol (available in the Original game.)
• Mace or war-hammer and staff
• Sling with stones

That (silver) holy symbol can take a significant chunk off of that starting gold at 25 gp, but the wooden holy symbol (at 2 gp) is a more frugal choice, with that extra look of saintly humility.  Speaking of which, here’s what a cleric of lesser means (but greater holiness) could have with 33 gp.

• Leather armor
• Staff
• Wooden holy symbol
• Sling with stones

In this case, the humble friar should stick to the second rank until the gods grace them with treasure taken righteously from the foul minions of Chaos.

 

Magic-Users

Magic-users.  Fighting.  Excuse me…

Oh no, no!  A wielder of phenomenal arcane power does not soil his or herself with sweat, blood, and gore like some common fighter.  That’s what henchmen guards are for.

Look, it’s bad enough the party has to protect you until you can get that powerful spell off.  The least you could do is subsidize that protection with your starting gold.  What else are you going to spend it on?  Arms and armor?  Maybe a dagger as last resort, or a staff for that classic, and dignified look, but that’s about it.  You are on expedition to uncover arcane secrets.  Leave the fighting to your minions (that includes both NPCs and PCs, though they might not yet realize it.)

Key takeaway: starting gold = hired thugs

What about spells?  Well, the 1,000-pound gorilla here is the sleep spell, with its ability to take out multiple foes, but I humbly submit the charm person spell as an alternative.  In the B/X campaign I played in previously, I switched to a magic-user after my "barbarian" fighter with a two-handed sword bit the dust on the first round of combat.  That magic-user had charm person, which I first used on a thoul, and later, on an ogre.  

While later editions nerfed this spell a bit, it is quite powerful as written in Original and B/X.  Every time you encounter a tough, humanoid creature of up to ogre size, charm it to your side to boost your party's combat strength.  That thoul and ogre helped get our party all the way to Expert levels and the Isle of Dread.  The creatures perished eventually, but that’s OK; because I could always charm more, while taking precautions in the event the charm should fail over time.

 

Thieves

Ah!  The thief: that misunderstood, red-headed stepchild of classic D&D; and secretly the best, freaking character class in the game perhaps second only to the magic-user!  I have more to say about thieves, their abilities, and stealth, but that’s for another post.  Today, we are talking about thieves in combat.

Newer editions (and perhaps video games) have painted this picture of the thief as a lightly-armored, swashbuckling fighter, but we can’t lay the blame completely on these media.  One of the likely inspirations for the class, the character of the Grey Mouser from Fritz Lieber’s Lankhmar stories, pretty much personifies that stereotype, but that is just wrong…dead wrong.  You will come to realize this if you play your thief like a fighter.

Thing is, low hit dice (d4 or d6 later) and mediocre AC don’t really support this image.  However, their other abilities with stealth, back-stabbing, and better missile attacks (supported by Dexterity) paint another picture – one where the thief is an opportunist that fights only on their own terms.  Therefore, the key with thieves in combat is to never, ever fight in any manner considered "fair."

Like thieves or muggers in the real world, a thief wants easy targets that are weak, distracted, or can’t otherwise defend themselves properly.  This makes them somewhat limited in fair combat against a prepared and armed foe.  This is why I’ve placed thieves in protective positions in the formations I described in my previous post.  Still, they can shine in situations where they can make the best use of their abilities, such as in the Murder-Hole formation.  Otherwise, a thief should only strike when they have surprise, then melt back into the shadows, or better yet, the protection of the party’s formation.  Another good use for thieves is flanking behind enemy lines (if the dungeon’s layout allows) with stealth to strike at weaker, but still dangerous NPCs such as magic-users.

Not pictured: the brittle-boned remains of an old lady she mugged to steal those life savings from (I think I’m going to start calling this move, where I sneak in a Terry Dykstra illustration, “Slipping a Dykstra.”)

 

As for starting gear, thieves’ tools also cost a substantial chunk at 25 gp like a cleric’s holy symbol, but with no cheaper alternative.  Still, a thief should focus on a few arms and armor, with an eye for fighting dirty.  That means one or more missile weapons to strike from afar (incl. flaming oil if they can afford it,) and a hand weapon to back-stab with: short sword or a dagger, if cash-poor.  There is also the polearm, if they can both use and afford it, to fight from the third rank in the Turtle-Porcupine formation.

Elves, Dwarves, Halflings, and Other Demihumans

 

I lumped these together because their strategies are highly dependent on what classic edition you are playing.  Generally, the same strategies for their particular class apply, but keep in mind any special talents or abilities a particular demihuman may have.  For example, if playing an edition where elves get a bonus to certain weapons, such as swords and/or bows, you can bet their flat and thin petootie they should be using these, while keeping in mind their role in the fighting formation.  Even with race-as-class, such as in B/X and its offshoots, there are one or more implied classes, whose strategies one should follow.

Elves: In the Original game, elves could advance as either fighter, or magic-user per adventure.  Remember, “per adventure” basically means per session, so follow the strategies for fighter or magic-user depending on which one you chose that session.  In B/X+ you have a lot more leeway, since the rules seem to assume that elves can cast spells while wearing armor (they generally can’t in Original and Advanced rules unless wearing special or magical armor.)  If this is the case, you may want to choose spells that complement fighting (i.e. “buffs”) cast on yourself or your party, such as shield, protection from evil, or mirror image.

Dwarves: Dwarves follow pretty much the same strategies as fighters, and their hit die allows for them to be on the front lines just like human fighters.  Their better saving throws against poison and magic make them ideal for the front rank when fighting creatures with these types of attacks and abilities.  See the Fellowship formation in my previous post.

Halflings: These also function like fighters, but tend to have lower hit die, albeit without spells to “buff” themselves.  Therefore, they should not fight in the front rank often, but make a good backup in the second rank for dwarves, since they have similarly good saving throws.  Their ideal place might be in the Murder Hole formation, since they receive a +1 to missile attacks.  A possible exception to this is fighting ogres and large creatures, since halflings receive a bonus to AC that can offset their lower hit die.

 

Other Classes

 

I didn’t cover supplemental or Advanced classes like paladins, rangers, druids, and assassins, but these generally follow the same template as the basic class they offshoot from.  Paladins, for example, function like fighters, while being able to part-time as clerics with spells and turning undead later on.  Druids act as clerics, but shouldn’t really fight in the front ranks unless they are using spells (like barkskin) to boost their AC.

 

Conclusion

Each member of an adventuring party can be thought of as their own warband of one PC plus one or more NPC henchmen.  These are useful throughout a PC’s adventuring lifespan, and should be treated well, with gold, treasure, and surplus magic items to encourage loyal followers.

Individual strategies for combat vary based on the character’s class and role within the party and its fighting formation.  Fighters and clerics should focus on AC for greater survivability.  Magic-users should surround themselves with NPC bodyguards or charmed creatures.  Thieves should only fight when they have the advantage and seek shelter or other protection when they don’t.  Demihuman characters should generally follow the strategies of their actual or implied character class, while taking advantage of any special abilities.  Other classes also follow the general strategies of the basic classes they derive from.

That’s pretty much it for combat for now.  I focused on Basic level characters because strategies for Expert characters can vary wildly due to additional HP, better saves, spells, and/or magic items, not to mention the knowledge and experience gained by the players.

When this series returns, we will cover Dungeons and adventuring in them.  Ta-ta for now!