GLADIATORIAL COMBAT

Combat Possibilities

The course of combat in the arena typically happens as outlined in the following steps.

1. Announce special attacks, such as called shots.
2. Roll initiative.
3. Add weapon speed or casting time.
4. Roll attacks in order of initiative.
5. Roll damage.
6. Roll secondary attacks.

Two combat possibilities (standard and special attacks), available to anyone who can heft a trikal or swing a fist, are outlined below. The following is an abbreviated list, designed for easy reference.

Standard Attacks

These are the typical attacks a gladiator is likely to use:

• Melee Attack: Standard attack, with Strength, specialization, and magical bonuses.
• Missile Attack: Standard attack, with Dexterity, specialization, and magical bonuses.
• Parry #1: Add 1/2 character's current level to AC (ignore fractions); 1/2 level +1 to AC for warriors. This functions against all attacks in a round.
• Withdraw: Disengage from combat, back away at 1/3 maximum Movement.
• Flee: Turn tail and run. Enemies whose melee weapons can reach the fleeing character may take a free shot at +4 to hit, if they so desire.
• Charge: Move at 1½ maximum move, gain a +2 to attack rolls (opponents get -2 initiative bonus, attacker loses all Dexterity bonuses and suffers a -1 AC penalty).
• Set for Charge: Can cause extra damage to a charging enemy. Works only with polearms.
• Hold Action: Allows the character to delay action until any later point in the round.
• Unarmed Combat: An armed defender gets a free attack in the first round when attacked by an unarmed foe, gaining a +4 bonus to both attack and damage rolls. After that point, only weapons of size S can be used, as the two are assumed to have grappled.
• Punch/Martial Arts: No proficiency need be taken with Punching, although one must be spent to learn Martial Arts.
• Wrestle: Any "Hold" result grapples an opponent, and this hold can be broken only by certain maneuvers.
• Overbear: Opponent (or weakest member of overbearing party) rolls an attack. There is a penalty of +/-4 for size difference (determined by creature size), -2 for number of target's legs (each leg beyond two), and +1 for each extra attacker. A successful attack knocks the target prone; a subsequent attack pins (see Wrestling).

Special Attacks

Most of these are taken at a +1 initiative and a -4 attack penalty, unless specifically noted. Such attacks are typically used less often than are standard attacks:

• Disarm: Gets rid of an enemy's weapon, knocks a shield out of line, or partially disarms a two-handed weapon (reduces it to one hand).
• Expert Disarm: Requires +1 to initiative and -4 to hit. Places a disarmed weapon where the attacker wants it within 12 inches.
• Grab: If successful, an item can be grabbed. If grabbing a person, there must be a Strength check. There is a -3 Strength penalty for a one-armed Grab.
• Parry #2: Roll to hit against attacker's AC (add +2 for any shield); this parries the first attack from that attacker. Optionally, the defender can risk the first attack and "save" the parry for another attack from the same opponent.
• Pin: No initiative penalty, -4 attack penalty. Successful attack pins opponent's weapon. Enemy gets a free Strength check to try to break the pin each round.
• Pull/Trip: Announce at attack. If it hits, victim gets a Dex check. If this is unsuccessful, the victim falls down. The victim gains a +6 to the Dex check if not moving, or -3 penalty if moving and unaware of the attack. No modifier if victim is moving and aware of attack.
• Sap: +1 initiative bonus, -8 attack penalty. An attack to knock the enemy unconscious. The attacker rolls damage, and gets a 5% chance of knockout per point to a maximum of 40%. Weapons' magical bonuses do not count toward this attack. An immobile character is automatically hit, and the chance of knockout increases to 10% per point of damage, up to 80%.
• Shield-Punch: Hitting someone with the shield. The shield's magical bonuses do not count in determining TO HIT.
• Shield-Rush: A slam into someone with the shield to knock them down, forcing a Dex check. There are multiple modifiers to determine if the character hits and if the target remains standing.

Barehanded Maneuvers

Called Shots: Punching, Martial Arts, and Wrestling are all called shots and are described in the "Martial Arts" section later in the chapter.

Disarm: The Barehanded Disarm gives the unarmed gladiator even more disadvantages. First, his AC decreases by two places (for example, from 8 to 10) because he has to expose himself to reach for his enemy's weapon, and his attack roll is at an additional -4 (for a total of -8) to hit. If successful, he wrenches the weapon from his foe's grasp.

Grab: The Grab is a naturally a barehanded move, so suffers no additional penalty for an emptyhanded attacker.

Hold Attack: There is no penalty for a barehanded fighter to hold his attack.

Parry: The Barehanded Parry, like the Barehanded Disarm, penalizes the character with a -2 AC modifier, which lasts until the character's next attack. When carrying out the Parry, the fighter suffers an additional -2 attack penalty, because he must get close enough to get his hand in front of his enemy's weapon hand.

Pin: The Barehanded Pin against another barehanded character is more properly a Wrestling maneuver. When trying to pin a weapon, the character suffers the same penalties as under the Barehanded penalty (-2 AC until his next attack, and an additional -2 attack penalty).

Pull/Trip: A barehanded character cannot Pull/Trip any size Large or larger creature, but can try against other creatures with no penalty to his attack.

Sap: The Barehanded Sap follows exactly the same rules as the weapon-in-hand Sap, with the same chance for a knockout (5% per point of damage).

Shield Maneuvers: Because a barehanded character has by definition empty hands, he cannot perform these maneuvers.

Unarmed Combat

This includes martial arts, punching, and wrestling. Unarmed attackers facing armed defenders are at a special disadvantage. The defender gets a +4 attack and damage bonus when attacked by an unarmed foe, reflecting the importance of weapons (as opposed to body parts) in parrying. As well, any armor the character is wearing can detract significantly from attack rolls.

There are no additional modifiers in these particular styles, although the PC might wish to specialize in one or the other (attacking unarmed or damage unarmed). If this is the case, each additional slot spent on proficiency allows the PC to gain an additional +1 to hit and damage, as well as one point of latitude either way on the punching/wrestling/martial arts charts.

Punch/Martial Arts: This is fairly straightforward combat using hands and feet. There are no significant modifiers for using these styles, although Strength and Dexterity bonuses apply. A specialist in Martial Arts gains an additional attack per combat round, assuming his or her hands are free.

Wrestle: Wrestlers have a chance to grapple their opponents any time they score a hold on the Wrestling Chart. If they manage to grapple their opponents, they continue to increase the damage by 1 point each round the hold is maintained. The hold can be broken only by a throw, a gouge, the assistance of another person, or successfully hitting the holder with a weapon.

Overbear: When the only advantage the attackers have is numbers, the most effective tactic is often to simply swarm the defender, to bring it down and pin it where it is at the mercy of the attackers. The modifiers are as follows: Size difference is +/-4 if the defender is smaller or larger, respectively. There is a -2 penalty for each leg the defender has beyond 2. Finally, each extra attacker gives a bonus of +1 to the attack roll. The attack roll uses the TO HIT of the weakest member; a successful attack means the character has been overborne. Further successful overbearing attacks each round pin the creature. The pin lasts until the attackers fail to make a successful Overbearing attack, or when the attacker breaks free of the pin (see "Pin" above).