MELEE

This form of fighting includes the use of hand-held weapons, natural weaponry (claws, horns, teeth, etc.), grappling, and special or magical touch attacks, i.e. poison, petrification, paralysis, energy level loss, etc.

While combat includes melee, melee does not include such facets of combat as missile fire, spell casting, etc.

ATTACKS WITH TWO WEAPONS

Characters normally using a single weapon may choose to use one in each hand (possibly discarding the option of using a shield). The second weapon must be either a dagger or hand axe.

Employment of a second weapon is always at a penalty. The use of a second weapon causes the character to attack with his or her primary weapon at -2 and the secondary weapon at -4. If the user’s Dexterity is below 6, the Reaction/Attacking Adjustment penalties are added to EACH weapon attack. If the user’s Dexterity is above 15, there is a downward adjustment in the weapon penalties as shown, although this never gives a positive (bonus) rating to such attacks, so that at 16 Dexterity the secondary/primary penalty is -3/-1, at 17 -2/+0, and at 18 -1/+0.

The secondary weapon does not act as a shield or parrying device in any event.

[See also EQUIPMENT, Primary and Secondary Weapons.]

MULTIPLE ATTACK ROUTINES

Fighters able to strike more than once during a round will attack once before opponents not able to do so, regardless of initiative, but if fighter and fighter melee, initiative tells. [PHB, p.104]

When one or more creatures involved in combat are permitted to use their attack routines twice or more often during the round, then the following initiative determinants are employed. When the attack routine may be used twice, then allow the side with this advantage to attack FIRST and LAST with those members of its group who have this advantage. If it is possessed by both parties, the initiative roll determines which group strikes FIRST and THIRD, which group strikes SECOND and LAST. If one or both groups have members allowed only one attack routine, it will always fall in the middle of the other attacks, the order determined by dicing for initiative, when necessary. If one party has the ability to employ its attack routines thrice, then the other party dices for initiative to see if it, or the multi-routine group, strikes first in the mid-point of the round. Extrapolate for routines which occur four or more times in a round by following the method above.

Note that a routine is the attack or attacks usual to the creature concerned, i.e. a weapon (or weapons) for a character, a claw/claw/bite routine for a bear (with incidental damage assessed as it occurs — the hug, for example). 

A 12th level fighter is allowed attack routines twice in every odd numbered melee round, for example, and this moves up to three per round if a haste spell is cast upon the fighter. Damage from successful attacks is assessed when the "to hit" score is made and damage determined, the creature so taking damage having to survive it in order to follow its attack routine. [DMG, p.63]

SPECIAL ATTACKS AND CONDITIONS

PARRYING

Parrying disallows any return attack that round, but the Strength "to hit" bonus is then subtracted from the opponent's "to hit" dice roll(s), so the character is less likely to be hit. [PHB, p.104]

FLANK ATTACK

All flank attacks negate any defender armor class addition for shield. Attacks against a rear flank, where the opponent is virtually unable to view the attackers, negate Dexterity armor class bonus.

REAR ATTACK

Opponents attacking from the rear gain a +2 to hit, negate any consideration for shield, and also negate any consideration for Dexterity.

STUNNED, PRONE, OR MOTIONLESS OPPONENTS

Treat all such opponents as if being attacked from the rear, but in this case the "to hit" bonus is +4 rather than +2.

INVISIBLE OPPONENTS

Invisible opponents are always at an advantage. They can only be attacked if they are attacking or otherwise detected somehow. These opponents always cause the attacker to attack at a -4 on “to hit” rolls because of the invisibility. They can never be attacked from flank or rear positions unless the attacker can see them (thus they are, in fact, visible!).

MAGICALLY SLEEPING OR HELD OPPONENTS

If a general melee is in progress, and the attacker is subject to enemy actions, then these opponents are AUTOMATICALLY struck by any attack to which they would normally be subject, and the MAXIMUM damage possible according to the weapon type is inflicted each time such an opponent is so attacked. 

The number of attacks or attack routines possible against such an opponent is TWICE the number normally allowed in a round. 

Otherwise, such opponents may be automatically slain, or bound as appropriate to materials at hand and size, at a rate of one per round. 

Note that this does not include normally sleeping opponents (see the ASSASSINS TABLE FOR ASSASSINATIONS).

STRIKING TO SUBDUE

This is effective against some monsters (and other creatures of humanoid size and type) as indicated in the MONSTER MANUAL (under DRAGONS) or herein. Such attacks use the flat, butt, haft, pommel, or otherwise non-lethal parts of the weapons concerned but are otherwise the same as other attacks. 

Note that unless expressly stated otherwise, all subduing damage is 75% temporary, but 25% of such damage is actually damaging to the creature being subdued. This means that if 40 hit points of subduing damage has been inflicted upon an opponent, the creature has actually suffered 10 hit points of real damage. The above, of course, does not apply to player characters.

DISARM

Certain weapons are capable of disarming opponent on a score required to hit AC 8.

SPECIAL "TO HIT" BONUSES

The following general rules will be of assistance when you must adjudicate melee combat or missile fire:

• • Opponent encumbered, held by one leg, off balance, etc. +4

  • Opponent stunned, held by both legs, slowed, partially bound, etc. +2

  • Opponent magically asleep, held, paralyzed, or totally immobile Automatic

WHO ATTACKS WHOM [MASS MELEE]

As with missile fire, it is generally not possible to select a specific opponent in a mass melee. If this is the case, simply use some random number generation to find out which attacks are upon which opponents, remembering that only a certain number of attacks can usually be made upon one opponent. If characters or similar intelligent creatures are able to single out an opponent or opponents, then the concerned figures will remain locked in melee until one side is dead or opts to attempt to break off the combat. If there are unengaged opponents, they will move to melee the unengaged enemy. If the now-unengaged figures desire to assist others of their party, they will have to proceed to the area in which their fellows are engaged, using the movement rates already expressed.

NUMBER OF OPPONENTS PER FIGURE

Physical size and space will dictate limitation upon the number of opponents able to engage a single figure in melee. In most cases use the following rule of thumb:

Modifiers are impossible to detail fully, as they include the physical circumstances prevailing at the time. It is obvious that a figure in a narrow passage or in a corner can be attacked only from a limited front. Similarly, the shape of the single figure and the attackers will be a factor, as a giant snake has more body space subject to attack than does a giant, unless the attackers are able to fly or otherwise attack the entire vertical surface of the giant. Any long-bodied creature has more area open to attack, and wide-bodied creatures, or those which employ some natural body weaponry which requires contact with the opponent, will be more restricted with respect to the number of attackers possible, viz. how many constrictor snakes can effectively attack an opponent? Two basic grid systems are shown, one with hexagons, one with squares. These grids demonstrate how multiple opponents engage a single figure.