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.”
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Isn’t it? |
But my monkey-mind wanders, so let’s get back to the subject at hand: henchmen.
The Benefits of Henchmen
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| 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.
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| “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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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