What Price Glory part Three

What Price Glory is a collection of Rules Packets for combat. Each collection of rules or packets may be used alone, or with any combination of the other modular pieces of What Price Glory. As a whole, these Rules Packets present a detailed, advanced combat model for D&D encounters. What Price Glory is presented in this segmented, modular format to allow referees to pick and choose from amongst these alternate rules, and to fine tune and alter them to taste.

Here I present the last five of the 15 Rules Packets for What Price Glory.

Part Three comprises Rules Packets 11-15.

What Price Glory
Packet 11: Armor Rules

There are five basic types of armor, and two additional protective pieces that may be used to supplement the basic armor.

Basic armor entails a chest piece or cuirass of one of the following types:

Leather: 8 (no absorb)
Lamellar: 7 (0 absorb)
Chain: 6 (1 absorb)
Bronze Plate: 5 (1 absorb)
Plate Mail: 4 (2 absorb)

Each basic armor type is listed with it’s base AC, without Armor Kit, as well as it’s Absorb Value. When the wearer of one of these armor types sustains a Critical Hit, the number shown is the amount of bonus damage absorbed by the armor (Leather never has any Absorb Value, even when magical in nature). Each magic ‘+’ adds 1 to this amount. If using the Critical Hits rules packet, a roll on the Critical Hit Table indicates that the Armor has a chance to be damaged and in need of repair unless an item Saving Throw is made. The Saving Throw required is a 16, adjusted by each magic item plus. If missed, normal non-magic armor is damaged and in need of repair, while Magic armor will lose a single ‘+’. If +1 magic armor is reduced to +0, it looses all of it’s magic and is considered normal armor. The referee might take into consideration the location of the Critical Hit (if such a specific system is used) and allow the damaged piece of armor to be a part of the Armor Kit, say a Helmet for example.

Armor Kit: +1 AC
Shield: +1 AC (+2 vs. Missiles)

Armor Kit: An Armor Kit is a set of three protective pieces (Helmet, Greaves, Bracers), all three of which must be used to gain the full +1 to AC.

Shields: Shields can block frontal attacks only. Shields more effective vs. Missiles, +1 AC.

Cloven Shield Rule: (I credit Trollsmyth for inspiring this house rule) When damage is rolled against the user of a Shield, he or she has the option to declare that they will be using the Shield to negate the damage. The Shield is shattered and useless unless an item Saving Throw is made. The Saving Throw required is a 16, adjusted by each magic item plus of the Shield. If missed, a normal non-magic Shield is shattered, while Magic Shields will lose a single ‘+’. If a +1 Shield is reduced to +0, it loses all of it’s magic and is considered a normal Shield.

What Price Glory
Packet 12: Weapons

This Rules Packet assumes the Solstice Weapons guide, with the following changes:

Pikes: 15’+ long, outdoor use only, x3 damage when braced vs. charge.
Pole Arms/Halberds/Lances: 7-12’ long, x2+1 damage when braced vs. charge.
Spears: 5-8’ long, x2 damage when braced vs. charge.

Weapons with Reach: Pikes, Lances, Pole Arms, Halberds, Long Spears, etc, have the advantage of Range over shorter weapons. Standard Spears only have this advantage when specifically set or braced to receive attackers. A successful hit by a Weapon with Reach allows the combatant to Fend with Reach against a foe using a shorter weapon. A foe who has been Fended with Reach will not be able engage that particular opponent this round. As soon as the wielder of the Weapon with Reach misses, the opponent may engage and attack him or her normally. Weapons with Reach may not be used while engaged. This range is considered to be six feet, and any opponent within 5 feet may not be attacked by a Weapon with Reach, except in the case of standard Spears. Weapons with Reach also allow a combatant to attack from the second rank, hitting an ally’s target by using the length of the weapon to his advantage. Pikes and Lances are too long for most dungeon encounters, but Halberds, Pole Arms and Long Spears are able to be wielded effectively in such close confines provided the referee allows it.

What Price Glory
Packet 13: Tactical Modifiers

Tactical Rules are modifiers to combat situations which may occur during an encounter.

Flank/Side Attacks: +1 to hit.
Rear Attacks: +2 to hit.
Target Prone/Fallen: +3 to hit.
Target Defenseless: +4 to hit.
Blind Attacks: -4 to hit.
Attacking Downhill: +1 to hit.
Attacking Uphill: -1 to hit.
Mounted vs. Foot: +1 to hit and damage.
Foot vs. Mounted: -1 to hit and damage.
Target Outnumbered: Attackers at +1 to hit for every attacker over 1, up to +3 at 4 attackers.
Overwhelmed: Being attacked by five or more targets. If a man-sized target is surrounded and being attacked by five or more man-sized opponents, that target will become Overwhelmed in 1d3 rounds unless the situation changes.

What Price Glory
Packet 14: Combat Options

This is a collection of actions which a combatant may attempt during an encounter. Many of these options are only available if the combatant has gained Initiative, and elected to wait, or ‘Hold Initiative’.

Move:
Engage: Standard move to enter melee.
Charge: Headlong rush into melee. +1 to hit and damage at end of move.
Disengage: Foe gets free attack at +1 to hit.
Double Move: Forgo Action to move twice. The second half of this move is performed during Melee.
If Initiative was Held:
Intercept: Halt target’s move by engaging it before move finished.

Stance: Stances are used in lieu of actual movement, and are actions taken to prepare for melee.
Evade: +3 AC, no attacks. Requires 5’ of space behind and to both sides.
Guard: Requires Shield. Confers +1 AC to adjacent ally. Does not stack with ally’s Shield.
Brace: Requires Pike/Spear/Pole Arm. +1 to hit. Deals x2 or x3 damage vs. Charge.

Missile Option:
Fire Missile: Standard roll to hit. May be held until Movement or Melee steps.
Light and Throw Oil: Range 10-50’. Target AC: 10-20’ AC 9, 21-30’ AC 7, 31-50’ AC 5. If missed, roll d6: 1-2: short, 3: left, 4: right, 5-6: long by 10 feet. Area of Effect: 10x10 square. Damage: Burning oil splashes for 2d6 initially, then burns for 2 damage and 1 damage on the second and third rounds.

Melee Options:
Attack: Standard roll to hit.
Feint: +1 to hit, -1 to damage.
Kick: +2 to hit, deals 1 damage.
Slam: Shield attack, +3 to hit, 1 damage, man-sized foe pushed back 5’.
Head Butt: Man-sized humanoid targets only. -1 to hit. Target must Save vs. Poison or lose next attack.
Disarm: -2 to hit, no damage, target must Save vs. Poison or drop weapon.
Dual Wield Attack: -3 to hit. Can attack once with each weapon.
Sunder: Two Handed Weapon only. +1 to hit and damage, lose next attack.
Sweeping Blow: Two Handed Weapon only. Sweeping arc can target up to 3 adjacent foes, -3 to hit.
Swap: Weapon/Item requires 1 attack.
Retrieve: Weapon/Item requires 1 round.
Use Item: Requires 1 round.
If Initiative was Held:
Riposte: +2 to hit after a miss by foe.
Block: Shield only. Roll higher on d20 than attacker’s RTH to block attack with Shield. Uses 1 attack.
Parry: Roll higher on d20 than attacker’s RTH+2 to Parry attack with weapon. Uses 1 attack.

What Price Glory
Packet 15: Grappling

Grappling attempts require a hit for 0 damage. Defender receives a free attack at +2 to hit, if successful grapple attempt is fended off.

Ignores armor. Weaponless or with Dagger. Grappling is fast and furious, each combatant rolls 2d6, adjusted as follows:

Strength 15+: +1
Dexterity 15+: +1
Constitution 15+: +1
Level/HD 3-5: +1
Level/HD 6-9: +2
Level/HD 10+: +3
Dagger: +1
Per Magic Dagger Plus: +1
Monster: +1
Extra Grapplers: +1 through +3 for two to four grappling one target.

The grappler with the higher roll deals 1d6 damage to his foe. Any roll of 10 or higher will deal 1 damage, added to the winner’s roll, or sustained by the winner. Strength of 15+ and Daggers will add 1 to this damage roll, for a total possible damage range of 1d6+2.

If either grappler rolls a natural 10 or higher, and wins the 2d6 roll, he or she may elect to disengage from grappling. Anytime a natural 12 is rolled, the grappler may elect to disengage from the grapple regardless of whether or not he won the roll.

A man-sized target may be grappled by up to four man-sized foes at once. Each will roll 2d6 and take the highest result.

Packet 14 is too heavy at this point, but rather than break it up into 10 smaller packets, I will leave it as is to allow referees to pick and choose any of the options they might find useful in their own campaigns.

~Sham, Quixotic Referee